George pensioner battles gas fire alone

GEORGE NEWS - A nightmare scenario played itself out in the household of the Wheelers in Genevafontein last Thursday, when the gas heater malfunctioned and burst into flames.

When Ken Wheeler phoned the George Fire Brigade their emergency numbers were not working and Ken, despite being disabled, ended up battling three-metre-high flames.

He managed to cover the fire with wet towels and drag the heater to the garden. After repeatedly dialling 044 801 6300 from 07:18 onwards, he kept on getting only a 'beep-beep' sound. In desperation, he dialled the police's emergency numbers and was given another number on which to contact the fire brigade; but this number also malfunctioned.
By 07:43 two policemen had arrived, and seven minutes later the Fire Brigade was on the scene.

"My eyelids and eyebrows were singed, I was drenched in gas and feeling sick."

Wheeler is not complaining about a lack of efficiency by the firemen, but feels let down. "We could have died in the flames. I used wet towels to try and douse the fire but that did not put it out. The dealer has since refunded me for the gas heater as there had been a missing component."

When trying to obtain comment on Tuesday morning, the Head of Community Safety, Barend Nelson and other heads of departments were in a meeting to discuss the planned Nelson Mandela Day activities on Wednesday. The Municipality's e-mail server was out of order for a few days, but a secretary promised that she would relay a message to Nelson. It is understood that there has been a change-over in the telephone answering systems. The Municipality's emergency numbers would no longer be relayed through Eden District Municipality's switchboard.

*Ken Wheeler het 'n noue ontkoming gehad toe sy gasverwarmer aan die brand geslaan het in sy Genevafontein-huis. Hy het vergeefs die brandweer se noodnommers geskakel. Op die ou end het die polisie sy noodsituasie deurgegee aan die George-brandweer wie se noodnommers skynbaar buite werking was. Intussen het hy self met veel moeite die verwarmer na buite gesleep.

ARTICLE: PAULINE LOURENS, GEORGE HERALD JOURNALIST