Photo for illustration: iStock
Two separate fires in the Nelson Mandela Bay metro in Gqeberha claimed the lives of three residents during the early hours of Sunday morning.
Gqeberha authorities call on residents to be vigilant when using candles or paraffin lamps, as most fatalities are caused due to negligence.
“Make sure burning candles and lamps are extinguished before going to bed.”
The first incident occurred at approximately 3:15am on Sunday on Vuba Street in Kwa Nobuhle, a large township on the outskirts of Kariega in the Eastern Cape.
Two residents – a man and a woman – burned to death in their home, and authorities could not at the time of publishing confirm the cause of the fire.
Their bodies were only discovered after the firefighters extinguished the blaze. Meanwhile, the police in Kwa Nobuhle are investigating an inquest.
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According to police spokesperson Colonel Priscilla Naidu, a 42-year-old man died after his apartment in Xesi Street in New Brighton burned to the ground shortly after 4am.
Colonel Naidu said the man and his friends were allegedly “drinking together at his flatlet when the light bulb burned out”.
She said he lit a candle and propped it on a speaker. His friends left at approximately 2:30am, and residents notified the authorities of a fire on Xesi street 90 minutes later.
The man’s identity has been withheld until his next of kin are notified, however, an inquest into his death is underway.
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