Fires claimed his brother's life

13 June 2017 - 08:50 By ARON HYMAN
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DEVASTATION ROAD: Burnt-out cars on Paradise Road in Knysna
DEVASTATION ROAD: Burnt-out cars on Paradise Road in Knysna
Image: The Times

A day after John Blaauw lost his life fighting fires in Knysna, his brother battled the flames for 24 hours to try to stop the biggest blaze in living memory from claiming more lives.

John, 63, and his brother Merwin, 50, were both part of what is being described as "the largest disaster management effort in the country's history" to contain the Greater Knysna fire.

Merwin said his nephew had called him on Saturday afternoon to ask him whether he had heard about his brother's death earlier that day, reportedly caused by smoke inhalation and burns sustained while fighting the fire.

The next day Merwin reported to MTO Forestry, where both brothers were employed, to fight the fire that killed John .

"We have to fight the fires so they don't threaten other people's lives," he said.

Merwin said the last conversation he had with John was on Wednesday morning, the day the fires started.

"Two weeks ago we buried his daughter, and at the funeral he said to me that we as family could not just get together at times like this; we had to spend more time together," said Merwin.

"We had a good conversation. We spoke like family."

Yesterday morning Merwin came off a 24-hour shift so he could help his sister-in-law make funeral arrangements for his brother.

John's neighbours in the Knysna suburb of Hornlee, which was not affected by the fire, said he was a "kind and compassionate man" who had left behind his wife Katriena and their two teenaged children with no source of income except for a government grant.

But Katriena said she had hope and had been able to collect donated food and clothes for her and her children who are both in high school.

"I hope that it will go better with this country. I'm very sorry about what happened to us.

"I hope that God will be able to help me to raise these children," she said.

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