Community rallies to extinguish fire at Usakos guesthouse
“People came from other neighbourhoods and just started helping, carrying things out – it’s incredible how the community just pitched in,” Corrie McDonald-Smith said about the fire that broke out at Nubeb Guesthouse in Usakos late Monday afternoon.
McDonald-Smith explained that the fire started around 19:00 after rain and thunderstorms passed over Usakos. “You can clearly see where the lightning struck the electrical wires,” she said about the cause of the fire, which started in her aunt’s room at the guesthouse.
With the help of community members, the fire did not spread to the rest of the guesthouse.
“At that point, Usakos had no water, so Pitbull Tow-In immediately arrived with their fire extinguisher, Engen provided us with fire extinguishers and the Usakos Town Council helped with their water tankers".
McDonald-Smith added: “We are very grateful because we ended up using all ten fire extinguishers in the guesthouse, and without them, the flames would have spread much further".
Although two rooms suffered fire damage, she said no one was injured, thankfully.
However, Alet Taljaard (69) lost all her belongings in the fire.
McDonald-Smith said they remained at the guesthouse until late Monday night to ensure the fire did not reignite.
“It was so hot inside that the roof beams started to glow again, so we stayed until about 10:00 to keep it under control,” she said.
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McDonald-Smith explained that the fire started around 19:00 after rain and thunderstorms passed over Usakos. “You can clearly see where the lightning struck the electrical wires,” she said about the cause of the fire, which started in her aunt’s room at the guesthouse.
With the help of community members, the fire did not spread to the rest of the guesthouse.
“At that point, Usakos had no water, so Pitbull Tow-In immediately arrived with their fire extinguisher, Engen provided us with fire extinguishers and the Usakos Town Council helped with their water tankers".
McDonald-Smith added: “We are very grateful because we ended up using all ten fire extinguishers in the guesthouse, and without them, the flames would have spread much further".
Although two rooms suffered fire damage, she said no one was injured, thankfully.
However, Alet Taljaard (69) lost all her belongings in the fire.
McDonald-Smith said they remained at the guesthouse until late Monday night to ensure the fire did not reignite.
“It was so hot inside that the roof beams started to glow again, so we stayed until about 10:00 to keep it under control,” she said.
– [email protected]
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