By: Natasha Archary
The lives of four children under the age of 10-years and one adult were lost on Saturday, 17 June, in a shack fire in Katlehong, Ekurhuleni.
Neighbours who tried to put out the blaze, said they heard the traumatized screams of the children from inside the burning shack, for 2-minutes before silence fell, and the shack collapsed in a heap.
The bodies of all five victims were burnt beyond recognition and Katlehong police are investigating the cause of the fire.
Katlehong community members said they tried in vain to extinguish the fire but within minutes, the deadly inferno had become too intense, spreading rapidly to engulf the entire shack.
Ekurhuleni Emergency Safety officer, Eric Maloka said while it is too early to speculate on what caused the tragedy, officials are not ruling out the unsafe use of candles, heaters, and paraffin lamps.
No other injuries were reported, and Maloka said the fire department were on the scene within 15-minutes, but were unfortunately too late.
The four children were aged, 10, 7, 5 and 4-years of age, while the male adult who died in the blaze is reported to be 31-years old.
Maloka urged people to be more careful when using candles, paraffin lamps and heaters, and to never leave either of these unattended when falling asleep.
“We’re cascading the message to our communities to stay safe during winter, especially when there is a cold front.
People are reminded to always extinguish candles and paraffin lamps, and switch heaters off before falling asleep.”
Ekurhuleni Emergency Safety Officer, Eric Maloka
Every year in winter, there are a number of shack fires that affect communities trying to keep warm during the colder nights.
Maloka says Ekurhuleni Emergency Services are making their rounds through communities, trying to educate them about fire safety.
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