A 19-year-old boy is the sole survivor of a devastating shack fire that claimed the lives of his parents and three younger siblings at the Steve Biko informal settlement in Etwatwa late on November 9.

The teenager reportedly escaped harm because he had been sleeping in an outside room a few metres away from the main house when the fire broke out.

According to Ekurhuleni DEMS spokesperson William Ntladi, firefighters were called to the scene at around 23:48. They arrived to find the family’s five-roomed shack, consisting of three bedrooms, a kitchen, and a dining room, engulfed in flames.

“The primary responding team found the shack well alight with possible entrapment inside. Fire suppression commenced offensively using two attack lines from opposite directions,” said Ntladi.

Once the fire was brought under control, search and recovery operations began.

Five charred bodies, believed to be those of the parents and their three children, were found beneath the burnt remains of the structure. All were declared dead at the scene by paramedics.

Ntladi said a backup system from the Springs Central Fire Station was activated to support firefighting operations. He added that the cause of the fire is still undetermined and remains under investigation by fire safety officers and the police.

“The scene has been handed over to the SAPS for further investigation and the removal of the deceased to appropriate pathological facilities,” Ntladi confirmed.

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