A specialised forensic police unit was called in last week to investigate the cause of the fire that killed an elderly bedridden man at his home on Celina Farm in Upper Tongaat on May 12.
The fire investigation section of the chemistry unit in the forensic science lab in Pretoria traveled to Tongaat on Thursday last week.
Sparky the forensic border collie joined them from the Pietermaritzburg K9 unit to lend his canine talents to the team. Forensic dogs are trained to find types of accelerants used to start and spread fires, such as gasoline or kerosene.
According to the investigating officer detective sgt Lindsay Anthony, Ronald Steven Strugnell-Sanders (79) was home alone while his family had gone to Ballito for groceries.
By the time help arrived the fire had already gutted the man’s bedroom and several other rooms in the house.
“Fire fighters and numerous farmers from the surrounding farms worked together to extinguish the blaze but Stugnell-Sanders’ body had already burnt beyond recognition,” said Sgt Anthony.
Guard Corp Security’s Guy Edmundes was the one who found the body.
“I ran into the house holding my water drenched shirt over my mouth to protect myself from the smoke,” said Edmundes.
He searched the room hoping that the bedridden man had somehow escaped the fire, but it was not to be the case.
Ronald’s son Cecil thanked the farming community for their “incredible assistance during the fire.”
“Especially to Anthony, Tanya and Katherine Gobel for their support and the Netcare paramedics who went so far as to rescue our kitten from the fire.”
Cecil said paramedic Kelsey Shone had been looking after the kitten since the fire.
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