Cape Town - Tafelsig residents are reeling in shock after a fire claimed the lives of three people, including two minors aged 12 and 13 years.
The three family members died after the fire gutted two structures.
Community worker, Wihdaad Williams, said victims’ family and residents were shattered by Friday’s incident.
“This is not the first incident, and we are heartbroken.
We still have people who have nowhere to stay due to previous fires. It is always sad to lose a loved one, especially when they are so young.
The families are lost for words, and I will be going there to provide counselling again later. I can’t even begin to imagine their pain right now, the whole community is just shocked,” said Williams.
The City’s Fire and Rescue spokesperson, Jermaine Carelse, said when the firefighting teams arrived at the scene, they found two structures ablaze and several people suffering from smoke inhalation.
Carelse said one home was completely gutted, while the other was partially damaged.
“The City’s Fire and Rescue Service was alerted at 11.25pm of a dwelling alight in Mont Blanc Street.
Upon arrival, firefighters were confronted with two dwellings well alight and several patients suffering from smoke inhalation. Crews performed CPR on a woman and a 13-year-old girl, but unfortunately both passed on. A man and another female minor were rushed to hospital in critical condition. The fire was extinguished in the early hours of Saturday. The scene was handed over to the police,” he said.
Police spokesperson FC Van Wyk said that Mitchells Plain police had opened an inquest.
“Two females aged 13 and 23 years died and two other persons, a 12-year-old female and a 23-year-old male were taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.
“A post-mortem will be conducted to determine the cause of death. It is currently unknown how the fire started,” Van Wyk said.
He said that the 12-year-old girl later died in hospital, and the man is still in hospital with third-degree burn wounds.
Cape Times