Father saves child as 2 others die in Free State blaze

The Free State police in Sonskyn are investigating the deaths of two young children after a shack fire broke out at Naledi Square in the early hours of yesterday morning.

According to Bloemfontein Courant, Free State police spokesperson Mahlomola Kareli confirmed that officers were dispatched to the scene at around 02:30 following reports of a shack engulfed in flames.

Upon arrival, police found a distraught father who explained that he had been woken shortly after 01:30 by his children shouting that the structure was on fire. He reported that the blaze appeared to have started in the kitchen area near the exit.

Kareli said the father was able to rescue one child who was near him, but the fire intensified too quickly for him to return for the other two. “Tragically, when he attempted to return for the other two children, the fire had rapidly intensified, making it impossible to re-enter. The two minor children, a 14-year-old girl and her four-year-old brother, sadly perished in the fire,” Kareli added.

Sonskyn police have opened an inquest docket as investigations continue into the cause of the fire.

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