A household that was home to a family and a safety net parents built for their children went up in smoke on Monday when a fire broke out in a wendy house in Mount Pleasant, Hermanus.
“It meant everrything to me,” says Rochelica Steneveldt, the mom and matriarch of one of the families whose house burned down. “It was the first house that I lived in with my children. It was their safety place; their comfort place.”
In the early morning on Monday at around 01:30, neighbours and community members rushed to the scene of the built structure engulfed in flames. Fortunately, none of its occupants were caught or injured in the fire as everyone managed to make it to safety on time. According to Steneveldt, her partner heard the sound of windows falling in their bedroom and he swiftly went outside to check what the cause of it was.
The youngest daughter woke up her older siblings and subsequently went outside for safety. The home housed nine people including five children. Steneveldt and her family – including her father and partner – had been living in the home for five years.
The cause of the fire is currently unknown, but Steneveldt suspects it could have been a faulty electrical connection. Hermanus Times reached out to the local fire department for comment and clarity on the incident but did not receive any feedback at the time of publication.
“We will wait for the investigations [to establish the cause of the fire],” says Steneveldt in correspondence with Hermanus Times.
Losing everything in a fire during winter season left the family of nine with nothing and at the mercy of community members, organisations and municipality.
Some of the family’s current immediate needs include food, clothes and furniture. “That is what’s most important right now,” Steneveldt says.
And while the family awaits assistance from the municipality, the Mount Pleasant community has stepped up and helped the family in dealing with the aftermath of the tragic fire.
“A lot of people in the community have assisted with donations and I am very grateful that they did,” she says. “But every little donation and help that we get, helps.”
Hermanus Times reached out to ward 4 councillor Ronald Nutt, and had not yet received comment by the time of publication.
If anyone would like to assist the family with donations or any support and/or assistance, please contact Rochelica Steneveldt on 066 223 8806 or 068 163 8945. Donations may be delivered to 239 Kanna Street, Mount Pleasant.
For clothing donations, the sizes are: Girls: 6-7 years, 12-18 years, 18-24 months, size 32 pants and medium (bottom); boys: 4-5years and 10-11years; adults: female – size 32 pants and medium (bottom) and size 30 pants and small tops and male – medium sized pants and tops, smaller sized pants and tops.
