A FIRE started in the lounge and was leaping to the door of the bedroom.
None of the family members heard a thing as they were fast asleep. Until the six-month-old baby girl cried after 3am and when her mum woke up, she saw the smoke.
The baby’s mum woke her mother and her two sisters and they broke the window to get out of the burning house on Tuesday, 14 June.
Mengu Masike (54) from KwaThema, Ekurhuleni, realised that her son, who is living with a disability, and her husband, were still trapped in the house.
The husband, who was already surrounded by flames, was pulled out to safety.
A brave neighbour wet a blanket and went to save the son who was in another bedroom.
But sadly, Mengu’s husband Sekgantso Masike, who was in his 60s, died of shock after being taken to hospital.
Mengu said she thanked God for making her grandchild cry.
“If it was not my granddaughter we would have all burnt to death. We also thank our neighbours for sacrificing their sleep to help us.”
She said although they lost everything, neighbours fought to extinguish the fire.
“When fire engines and paramedics arrived most of the fire was contained,’ said her son Tiisetso (27).
Mengu said the fire was started by a heater which exploded.
She said her husband Sekgantso woke up at around 3am to sit in the lounge at that time.
“He woke up to sit in the lounge and I didn’t see him as I was asleep.”
She suspected that he must have fallen asleep when the heater exploded because he would have alerted everyone when the fire started.
“My husband was a quiet person and was ill,” she said.
Mengu said they appeal for donations as they have been left with nothing.
“All the furniture in the house and the school books and the uniforms of my three kids who are still in school are gone.”
An inquest docket has been opened at KwaThema Police Station.
