The owners of a horse retirement and stable farm, Blue Hippo Horses Livery, sacrificed their own home and all their belongings in a desperate bid to save their animals as a devastating fire ripped through the hills of Greyton earlier this week. (Watch video below.)

Simone Beckerling and Gabby van Heerden suffered a gut-wrenching loss on Tuesday as the fire tore through their property, burning the entire farm to the ground (as can be seen in the photos below)…

Simone’s son Nic Bothma posted the photos (published here with Simone Beckerling’s permission), saying simply, and sadly: “We lost a lot today…”

But even though Simone is left with barely the clothes on her back, their hearts and souls were focussed only on saving the animals… which they managed to do with the help of many beautiful caring Greyton folk.





Simone and Gabby had created a loving home for their horses, cows, sheep, rescue pigs, dogs, cats, chickens and more. Simone’s cousin Louise Lumb told SAPeople: “They had a huge herd of horses in the valley. It’s a retirement for some older horses, and they have recently got Alpacas in an enclosure right next to the house.”

“During the fire, they needed to move the animals… and literally left everything.”

Nic uploaded this video – with the sound of a gas cylinder at the beginning – that shows the farm being tragically burnt in a fire that is believed to have been started by two children:

WATCH VIDEO: Fire at Blue Hippo Horses Livery

Posted by Nic Bothma on Tuesday, December 17, 2019

Louise told SAPeople: “I spoke to Simone the day after the fire, and she was wearing her son’s tracksuit pants, mismatched socks and had nothing else.

“It is devastating.”

The Alpacas were put on a truck and taken to an Alpaca farm two hours from Greyton and the horses from Blue Hippo were taken to a safe neighbouring farm during the raging fire.

On Thursday, the horses were returned home, safe and sound thanks to their caring owners, and an amazing community that pulled together…

A friend, Tania Bownes, has asked locals to look through their cupboards for anything from kitchen utensils to crockery, from bedding to size 34 and 38 clothing.

She said: “I cannot imagine the trauma of this loss. They have loved every inch of the land and loved their animals deeply. Each one is known by name. They come when called….”

Greyton residents have rallied to help in all kinds of ways as Blue Hippo tries to get back on its feet. With water pipes and fences burnt, a local farmer is helping get water to the farm. Others are sending packages. One has set up a fundraising page.

Another Greyton farmer also lost her home in the fire – Samantha O’Keefe’s award-winning Lismore Estate Vineyard was devastated by the Greyton wildfire. She bravely drove into the blaze, hoping to rescue her farmworkers and animals. Unfortunately, two cats and one dog didn’t survive the fires but fortunately, all staff members made it to safety.

Another neighbour – Coenie Visser at Wolwekloof farm – is counting his blessings. While he too prioritised getting the “dogs, horses, alpacas, donkeys and chickens to a place of safety”, the fire was contained just 10 metres from the house.

Coenie said: “My neighbours were not so lucky. Homes, a wine cellar, other structures and vehicles, orchards and vineyards were destroyed in the raging fires, some people losing everything but the clothes on their backs.

“Thank you to the Greytonians who came to my rescue, I don’t even know some of the names, but you know who you are. I am indeed lucky that the Wolwekloof house and animals could be saved…”

If you would like to help Simone and Gabby recover and be able to continue looking after the horses and other animals, please consider contributing to the ‘Help Blue Hippo Rise Again‘ fund. They have lost their home and their livelihood.



