Depot workers from Pinelands were on their way from unblocking a sewer when the opportunity to save a baby’s life and a family from a fire called them to go bravely beyond their job descriptions:
Heideveld, South Africa (29 November 2023) — While on the way from unblocking a sewer in Athlone on 20 November, a team of depot workers found themselves in a position to save a young life and a family.
The team hailing from the City’s Pinelands base had initially been called to Athlone but had to leave the area due to dangerous circumstances. On their return down Klipfontein Road, a burning double-story home caught their attention.
Knowing they needed to act, the team made their way to help. Working as a team, some evacuated the parents and three children, while two members braved the blaze to get onto the garage’s roof to access an upstairs bedroom where the parents’ two-month-old baby was. After breaking a window to make their way in, the baby was rescued!
To quell the fire, the team cleverly used the non-potable water they would traditionally use for sewer blockages. All of this happened before the City’s Fire and Rescue services arrived, making the depot team the unanticipated heroes of the day.
These heroic team members are Lee-Roy Sheldon, Gideon Tyman, Nazim De Jager, Verona Joseph, Ismail Boer, Quinton Sakala, Faeeza Malherbe and Claudia Josias.
Not only did they save the family’s lives and prevent the fire from spreading, but they also extended immense kindness by offering essentials to the family who had lost so much.
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