Families left devastated after fires gut homes, business premises
A Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth) family’s livelihood went up in flames yesterday morning.
But Tollie Bosman — who will have to start almost from scratch — is just grateful his family is alive after the fire broke out at his Magic Auto Sales and Service office premises in Newton Park.
His parents, Lambert, 73, and Sylvia Bosman, 69, and their daughter Cheryl and her husband Quinton van Zyl were preparing for breakfast when the blaze broke out.
The four lived in a home at the back of the business premises, both of which were gutted.
Bosman, 47, said if the fire had happened during the night he doubted his family members would have survived.
He said he suspected the fire had started in the roof.
Four dogs were rescued from the blaze, two cats went missing and emergency teams were unable to rescue the family’s birds because of thick smoke and the imminent collapse of the roof.
“Our entire livelihood has gone down the drain. It’s years of hard work down the drain.
“Within seven minutes flat everything was gone,” an emotional Bosman said from the scene yesterday.
“I went into the office to try to get documents, but it was impossible — there was just smoke everywhere.”
One of the first responders on the scene, EMS Bestmed paramedic Ryan le Grange, said he had been standing outside his office on a phone call when a motorist stopped and told him the nearby building was on fire.
Le Grange said he had immediately informed the fire department.
“We entered the building and removed the people inside. The owner and I managed to get all the car keys out of the office,” Le Grange said.
While they were inside, the smoke became extremely thick and they were struggling to breathe.
“I said the roof was going to collapse and we needed to get out. Seconds after leaving, the roof came down.
“Within seven minutes the entire premises was gutted,” he said.
Le Grange said they man
aged to rescue the dogs, but unfortunately circumstances had not allowed them to save the birds on the patio.
An emotional Sylvia said her main concern at the time had been her husband, who was on oxygen and struggled with emphysema.
She said one emergency services worker had run back into the house to get a photo of her late son.
“It was very frightening. I just grabbed what I could and ran. I am feeling terrible and for my son, all the hard years of work he put in.”
She said two of her cats had gone missing, but she was hopeful they would return.
Her grandson, Ceajay Bosman, 19, said that when he arrived at the scene he had seen his grandfather in the workshop.
“I was worried about my grandfather. He is very stubborn and wanted to help but he just can’t any more. I forced him to get out,” he said.
Teresa Bosman, 49, said her husband might be devastated now, but he was a strong person and she had faith he would rebuild the business again, having already put in 16 years to get to this point.
“This is what we built everything on, it’s our complete livelihood,” she said.
“We will have to rebuild. My husband is a strong man and I know he will be able to.”
Police spokesperson Colonel Priscilla Naidu said no foul play was suspected.
In a separate incident, community member Marilyn Lowe is organising donations for a family of eight who lost all their possessions when a fire gutted their home in Mount Pleasant on Friday.
Lowe said when she arrived at the house on Friday afternoon, family members had been on the pavement and they had watched helplessly as the house burnt down. “Everyone survived, but unfortunately the cats died during the fire. They have lost everything.”
Lowe said community members could donate school uniforms, stationery, furniture, clothing or any household items and drop them off this week at the Mount Pleasant Primary School main entrance.
Naidu said an electrical short circuit may have caused the fire.
She said not all family members had been at the house, which was completely gutted.
She said there were no injuries and the police did not suspect foul play.