Three female firefighters have been killed with another in critical condition while battling a runaway veld fire on the R617 near Boston, Mpophomeni in KZN.

Emergency services on the scene reported that three firefighters, all women, have died with another left in critical condition.

The fire was said to have encircled the firefighters and its flames were estimated at two metres high.

Read more on The Witness here: Three female firefighters killed in KZN fire

Meanwhile, seven people have been killed in fires in eThekwini over the weekend. On Saturday, the death toll was six, rising to seven this morning when a pregnant woman died in Kenville, Durban after a fire destroyed about 100 homes in an informal settlement in Kenville.

Read more here: Emergency services battle fires across KZN, pregnant woman dead