A Kraaifontein man has been hailed a hero after he rescued a sleeping teen from her burning home.
Mom, Jenny Fortuin, says they’ve been left with nothing but the clothes on their backs after their Scottsdene flat caught alight on Thursday afternoon.
The mother of three says her 17-year-old daughter was saved by a brave neighbour who broke down the door to her third floor flat in Gabriel Court.
Jenny, 53, says her eight-year-old son ran out of the flat when the fire started in the lounge and unfortunately the latch slammed shut, locking his sleeping sister in.
The boy ran downstairs and, along with his brother, called to neighbours for help.
SAFE: Jenny Fortuin & daughter Ashneil
Jenny says without the assistance of neighbour, Elroy Williams, her daughter, Imogen, would certainly have died.
“My son had accidentally closed the front door, locking her in. Then ran for help as plumes of smoke overtook the flat,” she says.
“Elroy broke down the door and crawled through the flat on his knees to save her. She was asleep and would not have survived.”
Elroy says he stayed close to the ground where the smoke was less and shook Imogen, who woke up coughing and choking from the smoke.
He carried the drowsy girl out of the flat.
Jenny says: “We have gotten counselling, and my children are all safe and alive, but we lost everything. It is going to be tough.”
The City’s Fire and Rescue Service spokesman, Jermaine Carelse, says it took nearly two hours to put the fire out.