Three Northern Cape police officers rescued an elderly bedridden man and three children from a burning house.
Sgt Neville Mouton, Const Melvin de Wee and reservist Const Ricardo van Wyk were patrolling in Witrand, Kakamas, on Saturday evening when they spotted the fire and began filling buckets with water in an attempt to extinguish the blaze.
With the front door engulfed in flames, Van Wyk broke the window to gain access to the man. He carried him to the window where he managed to hand him to officers outside who took him to safety.
At that stage, a young child was heard crying in the house. Van Wyk climbed back through the window into the burning house, where he looked for and found three children, aged two, four and 11, on a bed.
All three children were taken to safety.
Police save bedridden man and three children from house fire
Image: SAPS
Three Northern Cape police officers rescued an elderly bedridden man and three children from a burning house.
Sgt Neville Mouton, Const Melvin de Wee and reservist Const Ricardo van Wyk were patrolling in Witrand, Kakamas, on Saturday evening when they spotted the fire and began filling buckets with water in an attempt to extinguish the blaze.
With the front door engulfed in flames, Van Wyk broke the window to gain access to the man. He carried him to the window where he managed to hand him to officers outside who took him to safety.
At that stage, a young child was heard crying in the house. Van Wyk climbed back through the window into the burning house, where he looked for and found three children, aged two, four and 11, on a bed.
All three children were taken to safety.
The fire was later extinguished but the house was badly damaged. The cause of the blaze is being investigated.
Col Dries Witbooi, the station commander at Kakamas SAPS, thanked the officers for putting their lives at risk to ensure the family's safety.
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