Doctor dies in burning home
2010-03-11
TRAGEDY struck on Monday evening, when an orthodontist died during a fire which engulfed his home on the Wemmershoek Road. On Tuesday morning, amidst light rain and rolling thunder, the remnants of the previous evening’s disaster were still evident on the farm, Fields of Gold, close to Drakenstein Prison. Most of the picture perfect home on the slopes of the Wemmershoek Mountains had been devastated by a fire. And outside lay medical equipment which had evidently been used in a life-saving effort. When there was an electricity failure the previous evening, candles were ignited for light by Dr Riaan Ferreira (48) and his family. One of the candles allegedly set a curtain alight, after which the fire spread quickly to the ceiling and then through the rest of the house. Dr Ferreira’s wife and children were able to escape the flames, but he allegedly went further into the house in search of his cell phone. His son and a friend went back into the house in search of his father and came across him on the floor in a part of the house which was not burning. It was however engulfed in a thick layer of smoke. They carried Dr Ferreira outside and tried to revive him. On the arrival of the Drakenstein Fire Department, paramedics too tried to resuscitate him, but he was declared dead on the scene. It is not yet known what caused the power outage in the area. Dr Ferreira had been living in England where he has an orthodontic practice. A year ago he and his family returned to their farm. He had previously run a practice in Franschhoek and was now involved in a family business in Cape Town. Dr Ferreira is survived by his wife Sandy and children Darian (21), Chelsey (19) and Joshua (11). At the time of going to print, the funeral arrangements were not yet known.
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