Recently unbeknown to me a home burnt done in our suburb not too far from our home. Apparently the elderly couple had been woken by a strange smell and as they where early risers the got up to go and see what it possible could be. They discovered their large family home on fire. With some effort they managed to wake there tenant who has a flat downstairs and they manage to get out in time with no one being hurt. I read this on the interest via our daily newspaper only a couple of days after the actually fire. Apparently they lost everything the only thing that was saved was their garages. Neighbours who had come out to see what was going on when they heard strange crackling noises stood around in awe in their pajama,s or whatever they quickly grabbed before rushing outside to see what was happening. In Gonubie which is a suburb of East London (are about 15km from the nearest fire station) it took the fire fighters approximately 10 minutes to reach the home. By that time it was to late. Fire spreads more quickly then we can ever imagine. I wondered how I would feel if that had been me. A few days after the fire the couple where standing in what used to be their lounge surrounded by burnt out items of their home. The have lost everything including family photos, ID books bank cards and what ever we normally take for granted that is waiting for us when we walk thru our front doors at night. Can you imagine coming home to nothing but burnt out rubble. As per normal peopled rallied around them to support them however there is no ways that old photos and momentous can ever be replaced. Of course the first question most people ask is where you insured. Yes they where however that does not take away the trauma of seeing ones beloved home go up in smoke. Sometimes I know that the fire department have a job to do to put the fire out however the water does not help the little bits and pieces that may have been left. It would appear that the fire had been caused by an electrical fault to the tenants refrigerator. Now how does that help this poor couple. How do you get over this. How can one ever replace the items lost.

I now sit and wonder if that had been my home and it was on fire would I panick or would I be able to save something. If I could save something what would it be! As we go thru our daily lives we never stop to think that something like this could actually happen to us. Could one prepare for something like this and if so what should one do? Its amazing that one can have everything and it can all be taken away in a matter of minutes. Yes they where lucky had the fire started earlier they may not have made it to safety on time. The possibities are endless if you actually have to sit down and actually think about this in some length.

I wonder if I ever found myself in such a situation how would I react. Yes you get a new home and you get to start over but how does one actually deal with this! MMMM any ideas???

I wish that both you and I never have to ever experience something like this however I do believe that good comes out of bad so who knows what life has in store for this couple.