Sunday
Dear Elsie
Today started as another very windy day. I took a walk to the shops to buy some essentials. The wind was howling, but the outing was refreshing. I got home and shortly after, I looked out the window and said, “where’s the smoke coming from?” I then took a photo to send to the emergency fire WhatsApp group and I phoned the fire department. This was at 12.04pm.
The fire department line was busy, but I saw others had phoned it in and emergency was on their way. What followed was nothing less than hair-raising because we didn’t know what was going on and the wind was blowing burning debris towards us. Visibility was so poor we could hardly see anything out the window…
While smoke billowed around us, dreadful photos started appearing. First, that the thatch of the lower guesthouse of 11 Echo (Whale of a Time) was on fire. We couldn’t believe it.
And then, to our horror, Dhiresh’s house at 41 was burning.
Fortunately, he was able to get out with his pets.
Mike and I had been up to behind our house to see if the fire had jumped the road at all. The air was clear up there as well, so we could get a bit of reprieve from the smoke and we could see where it was coming from….
Gareth in the cottage, was being smoked out, so he came upstairs, followed by a neighbour bringing his cat. Peter was covered in soot and ash and needed to clean up. I put on a mask and went down to the garage to get the cat carrier in case we needed to evacuate. It was a bit unnerving to find fire tenders lined up outside our house. I was glad they were there but their presence made me wonder why they were so close.
I went back up and while looking over the terrace, I noticed smoke coming from bush next to our property on our side of the road. I walked over to take a closer look and there were flames! I shouted down to the firemen on the street and they got to work to put it out. The flames were literally a few metres from the cottage front window. It was an absolute Godincidence that I was there at that moment.
I retreated back upstairs and that’s where I stayed until things were more under control. I kept an eye on Whatsapp for updates.
At about 4pm, Mike and I took a walk to along Simon’s Town Road to see the damage. This was where the fire started.
So much destruction, but it could have been worse. So glad it is under control. Fire services remain in the area in case of flareups. The wind remains very strong and rain is expected overnight. In fact tomorrow, we are expecting it to be crazy rainy and stormy.
Right now, it’s time to shower and recover.
Luke 12:32
Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom.
It’s not about now – we are only passing through.
Keep the smile going.
God bless you.
In His Grip,
Gran xx 🙂