Nica Richards

By Nica Richards

Journalist


Kids escape fire after home burns to the ground in KZN

The girls evacuated the home just minutes before the roof caved in, with the fire engulfing the entire property. They were home alone.


Four children who were home alone narrowly escaped death after a fire burnt down their house in Waterloo, KwaZulu-Natal on Sunday night. 

Reaction Unit South Africa (Rusa) said the children were girls who were allegedly “abandoned” by their mother, who was at a local shebeen at the time of the fire. 

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The girls evacuated the home just minutes before the roof caved in, with the fire engulfing the entire property, Rusa said. 

Waterloo KZN fire

The scene of the fire on Sunday night in Waterloo, KwaZulu-Natal. Picture: Reaction Unit South Africa

“Reaction officers interviewed the neighbours and established that the four children were home alone while the single mother consumed liquor at a shebeen in Waterloo.

“The woman returned home when she received news that her home had been destroyed by [the] fire,” Rusa said in a statement. 

The eThekwini fire department and metro police were at the scene, and no injuries were incurred. 

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