Locked doors‚ no water: Firemen relive Bank of Lisbon inferno hell
“We were injured and we were looking around the building for water. Our bullet [to kill the fire] is water; without water we cannot beat the fire. We had no access to water ... ”
Those were the words of Moleko Isaac Bereng, who spent more than two months in hospital with fellow firefighter Livhuwani Maumela.
The two, who survived the deadly Bank of Lisbon building fire that killed three of their colleagues on September 5, were discharged from Milpark Hospital on Monday morning.
Both men are recovering from extensive burn wounds to their hands, sustained while battling the fire.
The firefighters said their hands were no longer painful and they wanted to get back to work as soon as they were able to.
“We are really looking forward to going back to our families,” Maumela said.
“I am looking forward to my recovery and being able to use my hand fully. I can’t wait to be back home, but I don’t want to be a burden to my family. I can’t wait to get clearance to go back to work,” Bereng said.
His last memory was that moment just before the call came. They were all standing together and some of the guys said they were going to get food.
He said he couldn’t afford to buy food, but his colleagues insisted on sharing with him.
“They were good guys. But life goes on, we have to continue, and the matter is under investigation. What happens now is beyond our control.”
The men said they would wait until the investigation was complete before responding further.
Bereng recalled the events on the day.
“We were told the fire was on the fourth floor, and we saw smoke on the third floor, but we realised the 24th floor was actually the seat of the fire. We went looking for water on the 23rd floor but found nothing.”
The men went in search of a rising main connection to connect their hoses. The main connects to an outside hydrant. Bereng said he could not find a main in the building.
“We didn’t have water and, after a few seconds, the room was full of smoke. I heard the guys screaming: ‘We are burning!’
“I said nobody is going to get out of here unless we get out as a group; we are a family. Then I heard someone say: ‘I can’t breathe.’”
The escape exits were all sealed magnetically, and only the access controller had the key, which meant they were trapped.
“The guys were panicking, I told them to relax. I called Maumela and I got no reply. So I found a window and broke it. I saw that there was no balcony, only a ledge.
“We had run out of air [in tanks]. The heat was incredible. I tried to shield my face and that’s how my hands got burned.
“There was no visibility. We took our colleague who had died [of smoke inhalation] to the ledge. That’s when I heard someone had gone down [fallen from the ledge]. We had already lost another member. My head was burning. We knew we were in trouble. We went on to the ledge and waited,” Bereng said.