Actors' house burns down while they perform at National Arts Festival

The Durban home of a popular actors Lisa Bobbert and Aaron McIlroy burned down on Saturday morning while they were attending the National Arts Festival in Makhanda.

The couple's daughter and her two friends were at their home in Durban North when the fire started.

In a Facebook post on Monday, Bobbert said the trio managed to escape the blaze unharmed.

"Aaron and I are completely overwhelmed by everyone's love and support and all the offers of help that we have received. We will be arriving home this afternoon and will start to get a clearer picture of the situation," she said.

Sonia Corris, a member of the prayer group that Bobbert belongs to, told TimesLive that the couple had lost everything.

She has been coordinating donations of clothing and household goods for the family.

"We have been overwhelmed by the support from the local community. The family will probably take the next few days for assessment of the situation. Of course, they will also need to find a place to stay," she said.

The couple were performing their show, Bloopers, what could possibly go wrong … , at the festival. The show is expected to run in Durban from July 18 to 28.