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The cause of fire is undetermined.
The remains of a shack that was ravaged by fire at the Makausi informal settlement. Picture: Ekurhuleni Disaster and Emergency Management Services
A man believed to be in his thirties has died in a shack fire in Ekurhuleni on the East Rand.
It is understood that the man was found and declared dead after a multiple-shack fire at the Makausi informal settlement near Primrose, City of Ekurhuleni, in the early hours of Wednesday morning.
Ekurhuleni Disaster and Emergency Management Services (DEMS) William Ntladi said they received the call just before 1am at the Primrose fire station.
Shack fire
Ntladi said firefighters responded swiftly to the scene for intervention.
“On arrival, several shacks were already on fire, threatening the rest of the others in the proximity. Offensively, flames were extinguished using water from the fire engines, preventing the spread across the settlement. A total of eight shacks were burnt down, and in that inferno, a partially burnt body of an adult male was discovered in one of the shacks.
“Gauteng Provincial Government ambulance services’ paramedics were on scene, and the patient was declared deceased,” Ntladi said.
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Ntladi added that the cause of the fire is undetermined.
“The South African Police Services (Saps) were on scene and received incident responsibilities for the body removal and fire cause investigation.”
Man and baby killed
This is the second fire in Ekurhuleni in less than a week.
On Sunday, a 22-year-old man and a little baby died in a shack fire at Arla Park Extension 3 in Nigel at about 3am.
Ekurhuleni Emergency Services spokesperson Maswazi Mdluli stated that upon arrival at the scene, they found a multi-roomed shack fully engulfed in flames, with the community assisting in extinguishing the fire.
Investigations
Mdluli said after the flames were extinguished, firefighters began search and recovery efforts as there were concerns that there may be casualties trapped inside.
“Two bodies were discovered in the burnt remains of the shack. The victims were identified as a 22-year-old male and a 2-year-old baby, both of whom were burned beyond recognition.
“An 8-year-old child managed to escape with minor burns and was taken to Pholosong Hospital for medical treatment. The two deceased individuals were pronounced dead at the scene by Gauteng Medical Services,” Mdluli said.
Mdluli said fire safety officials and police will continue to investigate the possible cause of the fire.
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