A hostel of the De la Bat school for the Deaf in Worcester has been destroyed in a fire. The Boetman hostel was home to 17 learners aged between seven and ten years old.
Deaf School @De La Bat School f/t Deaf , Worcester- Boetman junior boys hostel burnt down – lost all belongings children & staffs are safe -( Contact social Worker , Maryke le Roux for support -0233422560) @DeafSAWC @odetteswift @Disability_SA @ingridparkin @BrunoDruchen pic.twitter.com/01lLs08RFO
— DeafSA (@DeafsaInfo) May 22, 2018
Dear DeafNET beneficiaries and friends, it is with sadness that I want to inform you that one of the small boys’ hostels, Boetman, of De la Bat School for the Deaf in Worcester, South Africa, burned down yesterday…. https://t.co/vomyGQegqY
— DeafNET (@DeafNETafrica) May 22, 2018
Principal Philip Cook says the learners were not injured, but they lost all their possessions in the fire. Cook has appealed to the public for donations such as clothing and furniture.
“The building was destroyed within approximately 30 minutes. There was no harm to any of the staff members or children. We are hosting 17 learners in that hostel at this stage, and we were able to actually spread them into the other hostels as a crisis management arrangement. Then the fire brigade indicated that they will also do a full investigation and do a full report on the matter,” Cook says.