Family left homeless after fire kills young girl in Mamelodi East
The community of Extension 6 is reeling from a late-night fire that killed a six-year-old and left another child hospitalised.
A shack fire has claimed the life of a 6-year-old girl and left another with severe burn injuries on Sunday night.
The incident, which took place in Extension 6, Mamelodi East, also destroyed three shacks.
The mother of the deceased child, Sepati Pheta (35), said the two children were sleeping in the shack when the fire started.
She said the 12-year-old boy managed to escape through a window and came running at her, screaming ‘fire, fire’.
Pheta said they could not see the fire when it started, because the shacks were behind the main house.
“We rushed to save my daughter, but unfortunately, the fire had already spread all over the shack.”
The 12-year-old boy escaped through a window and suffered serious burns.
Tshwane Emergency Services spokesperson, Lindsay Zwelithini Mnguni, said the other child who survived the fire was transported by ambulance to Stanza Bopape Community Health Centre for further medical observation.
Mgnuni said, “The incident was reported to our emergency communication centre at 21:33, and firefighting resources were immediately dispatched from Mamelodi Fire Station to the scene.
“These included a water carrier and a bush pumper. On arrival, the firefighters found out that three shacks were on fire.
“They immediately began with firefighting operations, and managed to stop the fire from destroying all three shacks,” said Mgnuni.
They managed to save the main house and one shack; however, they discovered that in one of the shacks, a 6-year-old child had suffered fatal burns.
Mnguni added that the police and other role players, such as community leaders, were also on the scene, and they assisted with incident management.
The cause of the fire has not yet been determined.
A neighbour, Tshepo Ramoncha, claims they called Tshwane Emergency Services, but they arrived late.
“We tried everything in our power to put out the fire with water buckets, but the fire had already spread, and three shacks were already burning,” said Ramoncha.
Ramoncha said the fire had already spread, and they could not save the child from the blazing flames, but managed to rescue another child who sustained critical injuries.
Community members expressed frustration and heartbreak at the alleged delayed response by the emergency services.
The young girl was a Grade R learner at Phundzo Ndzi Tshedza Primary School who loved everyone, was joyful, and full of potential.
“She was our hope. We looked forward to seeing her grow, go to school, and make something of herself,” said her grieving parent. “Now she is gone, and we have lost everything.”
This heartbreaking incident has left the family homeless, with no belongings, clothes, or food. They are now in urgent need of support.
Ramoncha appealed to all local businesses, stores, and kind-hearted individuals for donations of building materials, food parcels, clothes, blankets and household essentials.
Tshwane Emergency Services urges communities to remain vigilant and cautious during winter to prevent and eliminate incidents of this nature that can have a disastrous effect on families and the community.
To report any fire or rescue incident, members of the public are encouraged to call 107 toll-free or to call 012 358 6300/6400.
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