‘They saved our house’
Florida Glen family thankful for firefighters' assistance
“Two weeks ago I read about the new fire engine being delivered to the Florida Park fire station, but never thought we would benefit from it,” said Juby Morgan.
The 47-year-old has been a resident in Florida Glen for the past 21 years, and had an experience recently that is any homeowner’s worst nightmare.
“About two weeks ago, after a normal Sunday at home, we were woken by our daughter at about 11.30pm. She had heard strange noises in the backyard. I went to have a look, but did not see anything. A while later, we also heard something that sounded like gunshots or fire crackers.
When I went to look, I saw an orange glow and realised that something in our backyard was on fire,” Juby said.
She added that it was an awful feeling, and because of the shock, she could not think what to do next. “I could not even remember where we kept the buckets or the hosepipe! Luckily our neighbours also saw the fire, and they were very quick to come and help us. Some of them helped to get our valuables out of the house, others helped to get the cars out of the yard, and others brought buckets and started dousing the flames with water from the pool. They were amazing, they kept us calm and even brought us some sugar water!” she said.
Also Read: Photos: Explosions heard before Helderkruin house fire
She explained that the fire had spread from their yard to her neighbour’s Wendy house, jumped back onto their premises and set the palm tree right next to their lapa alight. “When that happened, my husband said we should stop our efforts as there was nothing left for us to do. The flames had also spread to the roof of our house,” she said.
Juby said when she phoned the fire brigade, “I battled a bit to get through, and all I could think of was, ‘Are we going to lose our house because of the fire brigade not pitching up in time?'”
But, just as the flames started spreading to the roof of their house, the fire engine from Florida Park Fire Station arrived. “They were so quick and efficient; they quickly had the hoses ready, and within minutes the water was flowing. When the engine was empty, they immediately started to look for a fire hydrant. At that stage a fire truck from Cosmo City had also arrived, and they connected the hoses to the hydrant and continued to douse the flames,” she said.
“This was nothing less than a miracle, and I once again realised that in times of trouble God uses angels around you. My family, friends, neighbours, the firefighters and paramedics were all angels of mercy who helped us through this. We are so grateful. Even though our lapa was destroyed by the raging fire, we are so thankful that we still have a roof over our heads,” she concluded.
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