Family counts the cost after shack fire in Okahandja
A backyard shack in Peter Katjivivi Street, Okahandja, was reduced to ashes on Thursday evening, leaving a family with nothing but the clothes they were wearing and the will to start again.The fire broke out at around 19:00 on Thursday (8 January) while Enginie Pieter (59) and her daughter, Mahe Pieter (22), were at church. By the time neighbours noticed the flames and rushed to help, the shack was already engulfed by flames. Documents, furniture, clothing and cherished personal belongings were destroyed.
When family members arrived at the scene on Friday morning (9 January), they tried to salvage what they could, pouring water over the smouldering remains as a few items continued to burn. “We were still busy with buckets the next morning after the fire had done its damage,” said a relative, shaking their head. “You keep hoping something survived, even when you know it did not.”
Initial speculation at the scene suggested that a gas bottle may have caused the blaze. However, the family disputes this. When they returned the following morning, the gas bottle was found intact and undamages. According to relatives, it was empty at the time the fire started. Thus the cause of the fire remains unknown.
Among the losses were both mobile phones belonging to the mother and daughter, as well as all of Mahe’s nursing uniforms and study materials. She is currently studying to become a nurse.
Sitting on the ground with her knees drawn close and eyes swollen and red from tears, Mahe told Network Media Hub that the family had lost everything. Yet even in the heartbreak, there were moments of tender, almost bittersweet humour. “We never survive funerals or parties without her, as she is always the one who helps with utensils,” one family member said with a deep sigh, managing a smile. “She was always helping us out. Now it’s our turn.”
Enginie was taken to hospital on Thursday evening after receiving news that her shack had caught fire. When Network Media Hub visited the family on Friday, she was still in hospital receiving treatment for shock.
Neighbours described the scene as devastating. As the smoke clears and the ashes cool, the family faces the difficult task of rebuilding their lives. For now, they are holding on to one another and, as one neighbour put it with gentle irony, “at least the church service ended early for a reason no one wanted.”
Rosalia can be contacted on 081 234 1466 by anyone wishing to assist. - [email protected]
