Five incidents of families losing everything in house fires, in two of them their lives, have been reported by Caxton local newsrooms in July alone.

Two sets of twins were burnt beyond recognition in a fire in Hendrina, Mpumalanga on Monday July 4. Initial investigations revealed that an illegal electricity connection might be the cause of the fire. The Middelburg Observer reports that the family are still waiting for DNA results before the bodies of their loved ones will be released from the morgue.

Read more here: Twins killed in shack fire still in morgue

Four days later in eMalahleni, a mother and her two children burnt to death in their house in Klarinet on July 7. The cause of the fire is still unknown.

Read more here: House fire shows no remorse to Klarinet mother and children

Vaalweekblad reports that two elderly persons were rescued from a house fire in Vanderbijlpark on Friday. A tow-truck driver and his wife told the newspaper there was a loud explosion that they could hear and feel while parked next to a road. They rushed to the nearby Herfsoord retirement village just in time to rescue an elderly couple from their burning unit.

Read more here: [Afrikaans] Twee bejaardes uit brandende huis gered

In Protea Glen, Soweto, a family lost everything when their house burnt down on July 3. Soweto Urban reports that it is suspected a candle was responsible for the fire.

Read more here: Protea Glen family loses everything in fire

In Alexandra, the Maswanganyi family’s home was damaged by a fire on Sunday. Alex News reports that community members believe the fire has something to do with a transformer that exploded, as they say the fire started shortly after the equipment was fixed and electricity restored.

Read more here: A house catches fire in Alex as a result of a power outage