Davinci Treunicht (16) said that at around 21:00 he heard noises coming from inside one of the burning shacks. "Without thinking I ran forward and kicked down the locked door and dragged out the lady who was inside. She was badly burnt."
Dirk Willemse, a next door neighbour, said he woke up when he heard the commotion outside. "I pulled down the wooden boundary fence that was ablaze as I could feel the heat inside my place. I don't know how the fire started."
Conthessa Lombard, a member of the Rosedale informal settlement committee, phoned the fire brigade and they alerted the ambulance. "They were soon on the scene and doused the flames. Geraldine Philips was taken away in the ambulance."
Chantel Edwards-Klose, the George Municipality's media liaison officer, said that the relevant housing officials were informed of the fire on Monday morning and are currently assisting the affected families with temporary shelter.
On Monday Councillor Virgil Gericke, chairman of the Plaaslike Besorgde Inwoners (PBI), was there to comfort and listen to the residents.
Gericke said this is a pathetic but serious situation. "It is obvious that this DA run municipa-lity does not have a housing plan for those in a dire situation. It is time that people demand their rights and stop believing empty political promises."
The TRA is a temporary intervention funded by the Western Cape Provincial Government. Council granted approval for the construction of the TRA. Every site will have basic services. Council will make a decision pertaining to the permanent nature of the development in due course.
Nadia Ferreira, the Department of Health's principal communications officer, Eden and Central Karoo District confirmed that 33-year-old Philips is receiving treatment at George Hospital's ICU and is in a serious but stable condition.
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Conthessa Lombard (left), Jessica Jacobs and Councillor Virgil Gericke (right) with a pot and some clothes that was salvaged from the burnt shack.
Neighbour Dirk Willemse points to the remains of the smouldering wooden structure 12 hours after the fire.
ARTICLE: MYRON RABINOWITZ, GEORGE HERALD JOURNALIST
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