Merebank man perishes in devastating house fire
Community activist, Yusuf Vawda, was one of the residents, who attended the scene as soon as he received the message on the community WhatsApp group.
Three brave Merebank men, Tyron Chetty, his father, Clive, and their neighbour, Ayoob Khan, have been hailed for their heroic efforts in saving a family after a fire ripped through their home on Nizam Road.
Sadly, the blazing inferno which broke out at around 1:45am on Wednesday, claimed the life of one of the residents, Krish Govender, 88.
Recalling the chilling details of the tragic incident, Tyron, 32, who lives two houses away, says he was alerted to the fire after hearing a house alarm go off and the piercing screams of a woman calling for help.
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Chetty and his father went outside and that’s when they saw plumes of smoke billowing from the house.
“My father, myself and our neighbour, Clive, ran into the neighbour’s yard, frantically searching for a ladder so we could get into the house. A boy from the house found a ladder and handed it to us and my dad climbed up the balcony and managed to get the homeowner and the boy out. Because of how the house is built, I went to the top entrance because we couldn’t get to where the homeowner’s daughter was. I managed to find a pipe and broke the sliding door and took out the girl and her daughter. I cut my hand in the process but my focus was on getting them out safely,” he said.
Chetty further stated that by the time they got to the back of the house, the roof was already caving in and they couldn’t get inside the house.
“That’s when the homeowner informed us that her father was still inside but unfortunately no one could get inside,” he said.
assist his neighbours whose house was engulfed in flames.
After getting four of the family members to safety, they could only look on in horror as their home was being consumed by the fire.
Community activist, Yusuf Vawda, was one of the residents, who attended the scene as soon as he received the message on the community WhatsApp group.
“I contacted the fire department on numerous occasions and they arrived at the scene, along with other security companies. There was a water shortage due to a burst water pipe down the road which affected the fire department’s efforts, however, this did not hamper their efforts to extinguish the blaze. We, as the community, are grateful to the three neighbours for quickly taking control of the situation and for their heroic efforts in saving other members of the family. We are thankful to all members of the community that were proactive and assisted in times of difficulty, as well as the security companies,” he said.
Vawda also sympathised with the family on the loss of their loved one. He encouraged residents to contact the relevant departments should an emergency occur and to also share the information in the community chats so that the rest of the community become aware of the situation and help where they can.
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Chetty said that even though there were sweltering flames and plumes of smoke emanating from the house, he does not regret his decision to help the family as things could have turned out differently had they not been there.
He described the late Govender as a friendly person who would always engage in conversation with passersby on the streets while tending to his garden.
