The tragic loss of a dad and his two boys in a shack fire in Sarafina, Ext. 3 could possibly have been prevented if members of the community had only contacted the fire department immediately before attempting to douse the fire themselves.
According to last Thursday’s Herald, the firefighters arrived to find the badly burnt bodies of Moleko Lephadi (30), Pule Macleod (7) and Baratile Macleod (6) lying among the scorched remains of the shack.
Willie Maphosa, the council spokesperson says Council regrets the loss of lives and extends condolences to the family.
He says it seems the security officials who are posted nearby to prevent land occupation, were first approached instead of calling the fire station directly.
“Council is once again appealing to members of the community to always keep the fire station numbers very close and within reach in an emergency. The emergency fire and disaster telephone numbers are 018 293 1111 or 018 299 5348,’ he said.
According to the call centre records, the distress call was received at 23:02. ‘The firefighters were dispatched at 23:05 and arrived at the scene at 23:10. However, when they arrived at the scene, there were already casualties,’ he said. ‘When our firefighters arrived at the scene, they found security officials who were trying to assist.’
The people in the area are still adamant that lives could have been saved if it was not for the water shortage in the area, however. Maria Motlhasedi, a heartbroken relative firmly believes that her relatives would all still be alive if the municipal tanker had only brought water on that fateful day.
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