Six individuals tragically lost their lives in two separate fires in Cape Town over the weekend, with both incidents occurring just an hour apart.
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In Makhaza, Khayelitsha, Melezwa Mntwini (31) recounts the heart-wrenching experience of hearing the screams of her children, Athanandi (10) and Ingakuthi (5) as their home succumbed to flames.
Mntwini, who had left her children alone while she was out with friends at 3am, describes the anguish of being unable to protect them as the fire erupted.
‘I left them alone at home and locked the door like I would normally do when I go out at night.’
‘I unplugged everything and went to my friends. I was not at home. It was the weekend, so I went out.’
‘My sister called me and told me there was a fire. I ran home and saw the fire had not reached the bedroom.’
‘I told the people who were trying to help extinguish the fire to break the wall of the shack, but they didn’t listen to me,’ she said.
‘When I saw the fire in the bedroom I felt powerless as I could hear my children screaming for help. I waited for the firefighters next door.’
‘My neighbor said me that the fire started at the door. Only my shack burnt down,’ Mntwini said.
City Fire and Rescue Services spokesperson Jermaine Carelse said, ‘Firefighters from Khayelitsha managed to contain and extinguish the fire, which destroyed a single structure. Sadly, two minors, male and female, were declared deceased on scene. The cause of the fire is unknown pending an investigation by the South African Police Service.’
Harare officers, led by police spokesperson Malcolm Pojie, are currently conducting an investigation into the matter.
‘Preliminary information reveals that the mother of the two was not home at the time of the fire and was alerted by her neighbor while she allegedly visited a friend. The children were burned beyond recognition,’ Pojie explained.
At 2am on Saturday in Bonteheuwel, a tragic fire claimed the lives of four family members. Carelse reported that their CCTV cameras captured the blaze as it unfolded.
‘Crews from Epping who were first on scene were confronted by a house fully engulfed in flames and immediately started firefighting and search and rescue operations.’
‘At 2:15am, firefighters found the bodies of two adult males and two adult females who had sustained fatal burn wounds.’
‘Four others, three adults and a minor, were taken to a nearby medical facility for treatment. The fire was extinguished at about 3:30am’
‘One formal dwelling was completely destroyed and two adjacent houses were partially damaged. The cause of the fire is unknown and the scene was handed over to the South African Police Service,’ Pojie concluded.
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