Father and 2 children perish in Pretoria shack fire
The neighbours were awakened by the noise of the family members screaming for help inside the burning shack.
A 47-year-old father and his two children, aged six and nine, burnt beyond recognition when their shack at Transit Camp informal settlement, Mamelodi East Ext 18 in Pretoria, caught alight yesterday.
Neighbours were awoken by the screams of the father and his two children for help from inside the burning shack.
According to neighbour David Mabunda, everyone woke up and was running around with water buckets trying to put the fire out.
He says the fire was too strong.
“We were struggling for water as we had to walk long distances to get some. The fire started around 01:20, and by the time the Tshwane emergency services arrived on the scene, the fire had already taken the lives of the three,” adds Mabunda.
He says the family was trapped inside the shack, screaming for help, and ‘we were communicating with the father to at least find a corner to hide while we were trying to open the shack’.
Mabunda says communication ended when ‘we heard a loud bang of something exploding inside the shack’.
Nobody knows the cause of the fire, and residents blamed the shortage of water in the area for their loss, claiming they could have saved the three had there been easier access to water supply.
Mabunda adds that the mother of the two children was at work when the incident occurred.
Tshwane emergency services spokesperson Charles Mabaso says emergency services responded to the fire.
He says it was reported that the fire started at approximately 01:35 yesterday.
Mabaso adds that when the firefighters arrived on the scene, the dwelling had completely burned down.
“Members of the public reported that three people were believed to be inside the dwelling,” says Mabaso.
He says three bodies were discovered burnt beyond recognition after the fire was put out.
Mabaso appeals to residents to place candles in a safe candle holder, never overload electrical plugs, never leave a coal fire burning overnight without supervision, and put off or place any heating sources away from combustible materials before going to sleep.
He says the cause of the fire is still under investigation.
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