Dad dies in blazing house

“IT WAS a hard sight to see,” said the son of a man who died in his home during a fire this week.

Mogar (Jay) Kistasamy, 65, died on Tuesday morning in his Bakerville Gardens home.

Sachin Kistasamy said he was informed of the fire about 5.10am and when he arrived at his dad’s home, the whole place was ablaze.

“No one could get in. We could not see or get hold of my dad. Watching the fire and knowing my dad could still be inside was the hardest thing to see,” he said.

Kistasamy said the area had been without electricity since the previous day.

“It’s hard to speculate how the fire started. A neighbour had alerted the tenants to the fire. When they awoke they heard popping sounds which could have been the gas bottle from the fridge which caught alight during the fire.

“All the contents of the home were burnt. Firefighters were able to find my dad’s body. He was not fully burnt. A post-mortem was done to establish the cause of death. We would like to know what caused the fire. For closure we would like to know how my dad died,” said Sachin.

He said the two tenants living in other sections of the house were not harmed by the fire.

Sachin said he had last seen his dad, a retired civil engineer, last Saturday when his dad visited him at his home.

“My dad built the house and had been living there since 1995. He was

a fantastic man who lived in the moment. He was always willing to help anyone. Despite having Parkinson’s he did not let it stop him from doing things.

“If he was involved in religious organisations or ratepayers’ associations he gave his 100%, as he did with his children,” said Sachin.

Kistasamy’s funeral took place on Thursday at the Clare Estate Crematorium.

He is survived by his three children, Sachin, Ilesha Kistasamy and Saviten Govender, and four grandchildren.