The home of Yvonne and Desmond Melville in Dias Crescent , Cape St Francis, narrowly missed being burnt down last night after a spark from an earlier barbecue set their patio alight.

Alert neighbours spotted flames in the night sky at around 9.30 last night and rushed to the rescue. Other neighbours also rallied to help extinguish the blaze manually .

The St Francis Department was summoned but residents had managed to put the fire out before the fire engine arrived. An ambulance also turned up.

The Melvilles are thankful for all the help they received . And of course most relieved there were no strong winds  last night, such as those raging through the village today.

They are also thankful that only the polystyrene ceiling of the patio, plus two white plastic chairs and a table were burnt.

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