MBOMBELA – A three-year-old girl has died after incurring serious burn wounds when a couch caught fire at the Preston’s Pad flat complex in Murray Street. She passed away on Thursday after having spent 11 nights in Rob Ferreira Hospital along with her brother (7) who is still in the children’s ward.
An informed source spoke to the paper on the siblings’ parents’ behalf.
“According to the parents, they were not at home at the time of the incident as they had been attending a funeral,” the source reported.
The parents, on their return, learned that their son and daughter had been sitting on an old couch when the brother allegedly got hold of some matches and lit one.
They learned that he accidentally set the couch on fire while his sister was on it. He realised what had happened and tried to get her off. In the process, he was burned himself.
During a visit to Preston’s Pad, it became clear that the incident had taken place quite a distance from the parents’ flat.
The couch had been stored in a confined space beneath a flight of stairs on the complex’s ground floor, whereas the family lived on the first floor. One of the building’s fire extinguishers was stored right behind the couch.
The man whose doorway was facing the flames on that day, briefly spoke to the paper.
He chose not to identify himself, but said his son (6) was the first person who had come across the horrifying scene. “I had briefly stepped out to the grocery store.
On my return, I learned that the couch had caught fire and that the two kids were injured. It was my son who raised the alarm and the fire was put out and the children taken to hospital,” he said.
“We were so happy when the girl seemed to be getting better last week,” said the source. “She started to speak a little again and smiled. When we heard that she had passed away, we were so sad,” he added.
According to her father, the girl had died from heart failure as a result of her many third degree burns. Mr Dumisani Malamule, spokesman for the Department of Health, said he would provide the newspaper with feedback following the victim’s inquest. At the time of going to print, this had not yet been received.
