Blaze destroys Bridgemead home

A BRIDGEMEAD family were left to stand in the cold and rain as they watched their house burn almost completely to the ground yesterday.

Firefighters were called to Willowmore Road at about 3pm but were too late to save the house from extensive damage.

According to officials on the scene, by the time two fire engines arrived the flames had gone into the roof and quickly spread through the house.

At this stage it is unclear what caused the fire and where it started. A large section of the roof collapsed and most of the internal walls, which could be seen through broken windows, were burnt black.

Little inside the house could be identified as furniture.

While firefighters were struggling to get the blaze under control, family members who lived in the house, who did not want to be named, gathered on the pavement, holding each other and praying.

"We are shocked ... we don't know what happened. All we can do is wait for the fire department to do their job and see what is left of our home," a man said. - Riaan Marais