Turning a dilapidated farm into a B&B takes blood, sweat and tears. After much plodding, Jonas (42) and Sarah (32) were finally ready to open their dream business, but then the entire building went up in flames. “We had to start from scratch,” it sounds in Day All.
‘Four in bed’ lands this week in Wellen, where Jonas and Sarah run B&B De Bonderbei. ‘Bonder’ refers to the Bonderkuil, a historical site next to the B&B where nineteen billy goat riders were executed, ‘bei’ refers to Sarah’s family’s strawberry farm behind the B&B.
LOOK. Jonas and Sarah organize a strawberry picking competition
Jonas once had a completely different job. “For many years I cared for elephant Kai-Mook in the Antwerp Zoo,” says Jonas. “Sarah was one of my interns, that’s how we got to know each other. When Kai-Mook moved to Planckendael, I came along. Sarah followed me later, first as a caretaker with the giraffes and then with the koalas.”
Four in bed – B&B – De Bonderbei © RV
Different life
Despite his love for animals, Jonas dreamed of a different life. “I’ve always had a fascination for buildings with an architectural value. Next to our house was a dilapidated half-timbered farm of 150 years old. I dreamed of turning it into a B&B. After the arrival of our first daughter, we decided to take the plunge.”
The couple gave up their job at the zoo and after a year of full-time renovations, they were ready to open their B&B. “The big works were over, we just had to paint a few rooms. Sarah and I were sleeping, but her dad, who lives next door to the B&B, saw the flames coming out of the roof at night. There was nothing left to save. The middle part of the farm burned out and even collapsed. The rest of the building was damaged by the smoke and water from the fire. We’ve had a lot of bad luck. The smoke detectors had already been installed, but the electricity had just been switched off that day because they were coming to install the electricity box that week.”
Unfortunately, the damage inside is also very extensive © Toon Royackers
Research
How did the fire start? “The fire investigator suspected that a screwdriver battery had caught fire, but two weeks later it burned two blocks away and another house a few days later. The police investigation showed that we had fallen victim to the Alken pyromaniac, who burned down six homes in our region.”
The fire raged in October 2018. “In 2019 we were supposed to participate in ‘With four in bed’, but our building was not ready yet. And then came corona. Four years after the opening, we can now finally participate.”
‘Four in bed’, from Monday to Thursday at 9.15 pm on VTM
LOOK. Mike and Pascale put their heart and soul into B&B ‘Hoeve De Sterappel’ and into the restaurant
READ ALSO:
Years ago, ‘Met Vier in Bed’ inspired Pascale (43) and Mike (48), now they themselves star in a TV program: “This has made our family bond even stronger” (+)
Lummense B&B de Bosch competes for ‘beds’ in VTM program ‘Met Vier In Bed’: “It wasn’t my childhood dream, but it has become that” (+)
What all viewers saw coming: Kenny and Perrine fell in love in front of the cameras of ‘Met four in bed'(+)
Free unlimited access to Showbytes? Which can!
Log in or create an account and don’t miss a thing of the stars.
Yes, I want free unlimited access
2023-08-14 04:13:31
#Jonas #Sarah #bed #fell #victim #pyromaniac #open #set #fire
