Quick thinking by one of Jeffreys Bay’s councillors ensured that a fire threatening a wooden shack in Pellsrus was extinguished before the structure went up in flames.
At approximately 11:00 on Saturday morning a fire broke out on an overgrown plot in Haring Street. The fire, fanned by a light easterly wind, started moving towards a wooden shack on the adjoining plot.
“The fire kept getting bigger and bigger and moving towards my house,” says Kholiswe Mwezeni. “My neighbour and I tried to put out the fire by throwing buckets of water on it, but the fire just carried on coming towards my house with my children still inside.
“I was getting very worried when suddenly councillor Brenton Williams arrived and started helping me by carrying the buckets of water over the fence and pouring it on the fire.”
According to Mwezeni, Williams roped in the help of the neighbours in Tuna Street to fill up buckets with water and help him fight the fire.
Just as the fire reached the grass in her front garden, the Fire Department arrived and extinguished the fire.
According to Williams, he was driving near the Ocean View traffic circle when he noticed a huge plume of smoke coming from Pellsrus.
Realising the fire must be close to the houses, he immediately drove through Pellrus until he located the fire.
“It was clear that the fire was literally minutes away from reaching the wooden shack and we needed to pour water on it just to contain the fire,” says Williams.
“I phoned the Kouga Emergency number but couldn’t get through. I then phoned Mari Du Toit, who in turn contacted the Jeffreys Bay Fire Department who were quickly on the scene and extinguished the fire before it could damage any property.
“Thank you to the community who helped to fight the fire, as well as the municipal officials who all helped to prevent a disaster.”
Grade 3 Makukanye Primary School learner Cwenga Mwenzi, who was in his house and watching the fire getting closer, says: “I was very scared that our house was going to burn down. All my school books would have been lost. Fortunately, the councillor saved our house.
“When I finish school I also want to become a councillor or fireman so that I can save other children’s houses.”
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