‘My family is my gold’: Tafelsig hero saves 8 relatives from fire

 

Thirteen-year-old Jordan Hoffman saved his family from their burning home.

A title well earned, 13-year-old Jordan Hoffman from Tafelsig in Cape Town is being hailed a hero after saving his family of eight from a fire in their home.

“We can rebuild the house. All the clothes I lost don’t matter to me. As long as my family is safe, I am not worried about what I lost,” Jordan told News24.

Jordan was alerted to the blaze by screaming neighbors and residents banging on the front door at 01:00 on Monday, 26 September. The storage shed in the backyard caught ablaze and the fire then spread to the house.

Without thinking twice and with no concern for his own safety,  Jordan swiftly grabbed his four-month-old baby brother, Malachi, and took him to safety.

The heroic teenager said:

“The smoke would have engulfed him if he had been inside any longer,” he added.

After handing his baby brother to neighbors, Jordan returned to wake the rest of his family. He kicked his brother in the head before rushing to wake the rest of the family.

The fire destroyed two houses in Real Madrid Street, leaving 20 people homeless. All eight family members made it out alive thanks to Jordan’s quick thinking and heroic efforts.

His mother, Maymoena Hoffman, 34, told News24 she was proud of her son, adding she knew things could have ended differently.

Maymoena teared up as she reflected on what had happened that evening.

“He was not thinking about himself. He put his family first. Thinking about the smallest and then us,” she said.

If the community had not come to knock on their door to wake them up, the family believes they probably would not have made it.

While the family now looks to rebuild their lives after the fire, Jordan said he was grateful to have them with him after what happened.

“My family is my gold. You don’t get anything more valuable than your family.”