A devastating fire tore through a home in the Marikana informal settlement in the early hours of this morning, claiming the lives of six family members and leaving only one survivor in critical condition.

According to David Tladi from the City of Ekurhuleni’s Department of Emergency Services, firefighters received the emergency call at 03:08 on May 26.

On arrival, they found a four-roomed shack completely engulfed in flames, with members of the community desperately trying to extinguish the fire.

“Emergency services from the City of Ekurhuleni swiftly responded to Marikana informal settlement. The structure was already consumed by flames when our teams arrived, and the community was attempting to battle the blaze,” said Tladi.

Despite the firefighters’ efforts to extinguish the fire, the search, rescue, and recovery operation revealed a grim scene.

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“All six occupants were found to have sustained fatal burn injuries.

“One young girl, approximately seven years old, survived and was privately transported to the nearest hospital for urgent medical treatment,” he said.

Tladi confirmed that all deceased individuals were declared dead at the scene.

The cause of the fire remains undetermined at this stage.

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Police were on site for scene rehabilitation and to coordinate the removal of the bodies to a pathology facility.

The names of the deceased have not yet been released, pending formal identification and notification of next of kin.