Couple still upbeat despite losing everything
FOR Jill Smith, the sudden destruction of her double-storey thatched home in a raging blaze was like watching a movie.
Jill, 67, and her husband, Willem, 85, returned to Chelsea Close in Theescombe and the burnt-out shell of what was once their gracious white-walled home after it was razed on Tuesday during a massive bush fire which swept through the area and threatened a number of other properties, forcing people to evacuate.
Speaking from the charred remains of their house, which is directly opposite the veld where the fire started, the couple said they had treasured memories of the 18 years they had been living on their 2ha smallholding.
The home was gutted, with the remaining ground-floor walls left bleak and blackened.
Jill, who celebrated a bittersweet birthday yesterday, said although it was a heartbreaking time for them, it was hard to describe exactly how she was feeling.
“The fire had been burning since Monday but died down. It had also been going in the other direction,” she said.
“But then the wind changed direction and it [flared up again and] came right here.
“It happened so fast – one minute there was nothing and the next minute it was chaos.
“It was like watching a movie, and I keep replaying it in my head.”
Willem said they had lost everything, including paintings, Persian rugs and other valuable items.
However, there was no point crying over spilt milk, he said. “It’s happened and there is nothing we can do to bring it back.” Asked why they had decided to move there 18 years ago, Willem said he liked the area and the people there were very friendly.
Despite their huge loss, the couple were upbeat and spent the night with friends in Mill Park.
Jill said assessors were busy evaluating their losses.
She was also overwhelmed by the response of the community.
“It was fantastic – it was nice to see everybody coming together the way they did,” she said.
Groundsman Isaac Masiza, 38, said he had been working for the family for four years and it was tragic to see their home go up in flames.
“I managed to move the animals we had on the plot to our neighbour’s plot, and this ensured their safety,” he said.
“But it is just such a sad time for them [the Smiths] as their home is now just one big pile of rubble.”