Lucky to survive
2005-10-13
WITH his shirt alight and the fire searing his face, a Wellington take-away restaurant owner last week tried in vain to douse the flames in his kitchen.
Alberto De Freitas was in his Lucky Go-Go fisheries in 14 Main Street shortly before 08:00 on Friday morning when an electrical fault set the premises alight.
“I was still asleep when I heard a worker shouting for me to help my father,” said Ruben De Freitas.
“I pulled on my clothes and ran. I thought something had happened to my father, that he was being attacked in the shop.
“I could not see anything, there was so much smoke as I tried to douse the flames from the back of the shop.
“The workers had run out into the street. My father was trying to put out the fire, but he could not. His shirt caught alight and he had to take it off.”
A thankful De Freitas saw the arrival of the Wellington fire brigade within two minutes, with assistance from Mbekweni’s firemen six minutes later.
Onlookers gathered in the street to watch the firemen working in the heavy smoke.
They managed to contain the blaze before it spread to the family's adjoining home, while paramedics attended to the injured man.
The store had been severely damaged.
Four microvave ovens were destroyed, as well as two cash registers and a stove, with damage to the walls and ceiling.
Lucky Go-Go was closed for three days, but was open for business after the weekend.
“The blisters are now falling off and my father’s face is still red, but doctors say in a few weeks' time, there will be no scars,” a relieved Ruben said.
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