Williamsville fire leaves 10, including children, homeless

A mid-morning fire on November 4 destroyed a two-storey home at Pooran Street, Williamsville, leaving ten people, including three children, homeless.

The blaze began on the first floor, which housed two bedrooms.

At the time, no one was upstairs, but everything was destroyed.

Relatives, including the children aged five, six, and nine, were on the ground floor, where the adults were preparing lunch, when they heard a loud noise that sounded like a gunshot.

“We just heard a boom. If we had not heard it, we probably could have been burned to death downstairs. We are grateful that no one was injured or killed. We all made it out alive, but we now have to start over from scratch,” Rasheana Ali said.

Ali said when they rushed to check, they saw a curtain on fire.

Within minutes, flames engulfed the entire top floor.

“It’s painful,” she said. “To be working for 40 or 50 years and now lose your home, it’s hard. My father is expected to retire soon. We are clueless about what caused this. We lost everything.”

Despite their losses, the family remains thankful for their safety.

She lived in the house with her husband, their son, her parents, two sisters and their husbands and their children, and an unmarried sister.

Her mother, Elaine Mohammed, 53, who is battling cancer, suffered a panic attack during the ordeal and had to be taken for medical attention after her blood pressure and blood sugar spiked.

Ali’s father, Kamaludin Mohammed, who works with a contractor employed by Nutrimix, turns 60 next month.

“We cannot believe this has happened. He is in a different zone right now,” Ali said.

Mohammed appeared to be in a daze as he sat on the tray of a van and looked on as fire officers, relatives and residents looked at the ruins of his home.

The family praised fire officers, saying they responded in less than 20 minutes and managed to contain the blaze.

The ground floor suffered water damage and some structural weakening.

Ali said from what she was told, the initial “boom” may have been caused by a bottle of perfume or a similar flammable substance.

Up to publication, the family had not yet decided their accommodation arrangements for the night.

They have already received three mattresses from the disaster management unit (DMU) of the Princes Town Regional Corporation (PTRC).

Princes Town MP Dr Aiyna Ali and councillor Vincent Raghoo for Ben Lomond/Hardbargain/Williamsville visited the site, along with members of the corporation.

The councillor later took to Facebook, saying he received a distress call during a council meeting and immediately mobilised a response.

“Fire services also responded timely. The affected family lost everything,” he wrote. “Assessments will continue from state agencies, and assistance will be provided.”

Raghoo also appealed to members of the public willing to assist the family with rebuilding their home to contact him at 276-6266.

The cause and cost of the damage are yet to be determined.

Investigations are ongoing.