On 1 September at around 02:30 ADT Reaction Officer Ephraim Makhesa was busy patrolling in Monument Park when he noticed a house on fire in Diedrikkie Street. The house was not an ADT protected house but he immediately informed the ADT control room operator who contacted the fire department and called for back-up. ADT Reaction Officer Samuel Nduli was in the area and rushed to the scene.
On his arrival the Officers gained access into the premises and started knocking on the doors to find out if there were people inside the house. They broke a big window to get inside the house and found the owner. They told him to move outside and he said his wife was still sleeping inside the house. They woke her up and took her outside.
The owner then said that his mother was inside the back room that was on fire. The Officers and the owner tried to rescue her but it was too late as the roof of the house collapsed.
While waiting for the fire department to arrive, Officer Nduli noticed that a car was parked in front of the house with a blanket over the car. The blanket was on fire so the Officer removed it, broke the window of the car and pushed the car outside into the street. Both Officers also managed to remove another two cars from the garage.
The fire department and Netcare 911 arrived at the scene but the house could not be saved. It had already burnt down to the ground. The owner sustained injuries on his hands and was treated on the scene.
Sadly the owner’s mother died inside the house.
Mike Kidson, Managing Director of ADT Northern Region, says this was a heroic attempt by the ADT Officers to help a family save their home. “We are deeply saddened by the loss of life in this incident and send out condolences to the family. I’d like to commend Officers Makhesa and Nduli for going above and beyond the call of duty to step into this highly dangerous situation and assist a family in need. Their professionalism in keeping calm and recovering the cars is highly commendable. The Officers will be offered trauma counseling as part of ADT procedures and will be recognised for their bravery,” he says.
Ends
Compiled on behalf of ADT by Cathy Findley Public Relations