Durban - SULEMAN Khan sat on a pavement and watched his home in flames while breaking his fast with a glass of water.
Khan, 56, along with his family and six other families, were renting at a subdivided double-storey house in Northdale, Pietermaritzburg.
But they were forced to flee after the upper level caught alight on Saturday afternoon. The fire is alleged to have started in one of the units on this level.
The ground level, which is subdivided into four units, was not damaged. But the families feared the building could collapse and moved out.
Khan said he lived on the upper level in a two-room unit with his wife, 56, their son, 25, daughter, 30, son-in-law, 31, and grandson 12.
This was their home for four years.
“I was not at home at the time. My daughter, who does not live with us, called to tell me my flat was on fire. I rushed home. As I entered the road, I saw flames.
“My only thoughts were of my family. Thank the Almighty, when I reached the premises, I saw my wife and grandson. My children and son-in-law were not at home at the time.
“My wife told me she heard a noise outside and could smell smoke, and just as she and our grandson stepped outside on to the staircase, there was a loud bang and what sounded like the roof collapsing. That’s when they fled from the premises.”
As he watched his home on fire, Khan, who is observing Ramadaan, said a neighbour gave him a glass of water, which he used to break his fast.
“It was sad, but I was grateful my family was safe. We could not go in the house that night, so the next day, we tried to salvage what we could.
“I managed to get my fridge and a few other small items. But what I believe is a miracle, is my Qur’an, which I had kept near my bedroom window, did not have a slightest black mark on it.”
Khan, who works for a meter-taxi business, said he was overwhelmed by the support from the community and councillors.
“They assisted us immensely. Some of the families were re-homed at the community hall. There have been donations of mattresses, blankets and food. We have also had people working to find us alternate accommodation.”
He said that evening, a family offered them food for the morning, before they started their fast, and for breaking their fast in the afternoon.
“While it is heartsore as we lost our home and our belongings, I have trust in the Almighty, and I am leaving it in his hands.”
Khan said they were staying with relatives.
Meanwhile, after moving into her new home, Donleen White got used to bonding with her neighbours.
White and her husband, both 33, and their sons, aged 10 and 5, moved into their two-room unit last Monday.
“My husband and I were living in a garage due to some difficulty, and we could not keep our sons with us, but we finally found a place here, and the landlords were kind to us. I was happy that I could bring my children to stay with me.”
She said before the fire, her husband and sons went out for a walk.
“I heard my neighbour calling for one of the tenants upstairs. When I went outside to check, I saw smoke. Everyone was shouting for water, so I ran back inside to get two bottles of water, but when I came outside, the upper level was already in flames.”
White said a neighbour called the fire department, but before they arrived, the flames had died down.
She added that her children were staying with her parents, while she and her husband slept on the veranda outside their home as they feared their belongings would be stolen.
Amanda Moonsamy, 53, who was provided interim accommodation at the community hall, said she was grateful to be alive. Moonsamy, her husband, and her three sons, aged 25, 23 and 20, lived on the lower level.
“Minutes before the fire could start, I told my son to take his 7-month-old child to his girlfriend’s flat, which is on the upper level, so I could bath. I told him to bring my grandson back when I was done. But not even five minutes later, he ran downstairs with the baby. He was shouting that his girlfriend’s flat was on fire.”
Moonsamy said it was sad that everyone lost their homes.
She added she was grateful for the assistance the families have been
receiving.
“We were given accommodation so quickly. We have mattresses, blankets, electric buckets to warm water for us to bath and meals every day. We feel blessed even at this time.”
The flat’s management declined to comment.
Thobeka Mafumbatha, the spokesperson for the Msunduzi Municipality, said: “It is alleged that the cause of the fire was due to an electrical fault. The matter is under investigation.”