Shack Fire Claims Lives of Two Toddlers in Vosloorus
Tragedy struck the community of Vosloorus on Tuesday, September 10, when two young children lost their lives in a shack fire at the Colgate Informal Settlement.
The fire broke out in the absence of the parents, and despite the desperate efforts of community members to extinguish the flames, the toddlers were found dead inside.
The City of Ekurhuleni’s Disaster and Emergency Management Services (DEMS) received an emergency call at 10:01 AM. Firefighters responded swiftly with two fire engines and a team of ten firefighters.
However, by the time they arrived at the scene, the blaze destroyed two shacks built into each other. The two toddlers, a two-year-old boy and a ten-week-old girl, were discovered lifeless on the charred remains of the shack.
“On arrival, two shacks built into each other were destroyed by the blaze and two tiny bodies lying motionlessly on the mattress remains.,” said DEMS spokesperson William Ntladi. He added that community members had attempted to control the fire using a bucket brigade system before firefighters arrived.
Preliminary investigations suggest that the children’s mother had left them alone in the shack while she attended to matters elsewhere. It is believed that a paraffin stove, which she had been using before the incident, may have been the cause of the fire. Upon her return, she was met with the devastating sight of her home in ashes and her children tragically deceased.
The City’s Disaster Management officials are providing relief to the affected family, while the South African Police Service continues to investigate the cause of the fire.
