Today I went home, it was late, because it is a very busy week, the first school week, also many of our secondary students are going back to school and need assistance. We needed bread for home, so I stopped at a small supermarket to buy bread. While I was paying, Anneke came running in the shop, "Els your telephone rings"I answered, then I hear Simon saying:"Els Amun house in on fire!!" It was as if my heart stopped... I grabbed my bread, the shop lady ran after me, with my change, I jumped in the car, back to Amecet. I left the car on the drive (Anneke took it later into Amecet compound) and ran to Amun. All kind of thoughts went trough my mind in those minutes, is the staff safe, are Dominique and Ruth safe..... When I ran into the Amun compound I saw lots of smoke and big flames in the round shelter we had build between the two houses. Thank God, the houses seemed to be okay. I saw Dominique with Ruth and some other staff members outside, many people came into the compound to watch. Elias, Emma, Calvin were trying to throw the last water out of our rain drums on the grass, so the fire didn't move to the house. Everything is so dry and there is no water in the tap, so it was just watching the flames do their destroying work. Simon was gone to the Police, because since some time, we have a fire truck in Soroti, which can be called in situations like this. Before this, the fire men had to come from Mbale, a two hour drive from Soroti.
I didn't have my phone or my camera, Anneke brought it from the car, so I don't have pictures from the big flames. The neighbours at the back of Amun compound had been busy to clear their land by setting fire on the bushes, there is no house on that plot, only a lot of bushes. Because of the wind the fire went out of hand and jumped our fence and landed on the roof of our shelter. It is a BIG miracle that the house was okay!!
The left overs of the shelter, which has been such a blessing to us in the past.
There was a lot of smoke.
There came smoke out of the gutter of the Amun house. that was the only thing!!!! You can see the water tank on the frame. At the right of that frame is the fence where the fire jumped over. It is really a miracle that the house didn't caught fire. We can only say:"Thank you God!!"
The Police/fire men did a great job, they made sure that the left overs were very wet with water so that the fire couldn't start again! You can see how close the houses are, and even the mango trees are still alive!!
We are thankful for the fire truck and the men, who came so fast to ensure things were not going worse. (and also that they were able to drive around our swings etc.)
End good-all good!! Simon asked the fire men if they had some water left over to fill our empty rain tanks in Amecet. the tap water supply is not very good at the moment and the rain water is finished. the fire men said they would call their colleague to come with the other tanker and fill our 4 rain tanks. so after all that had happened we were thankful, it could have been so much worse...and we have 4 big tanks filled with water for the laundry, bathing etc..
I was exhausted when I came home, but thankful!!!!!!
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