Four family members, including an elderly woman and twin toddlers, have suffocated to death after a blaze engulfed their home.

The tragic incident occurred in the Bluegum section of Duduza, City of Ekurhuleni, on Wednesday.

Fire

Ekurhuleni Disaster and Emergency Management Services (DEMS) spokesperson William Ntladi said firefighters from Duduza fire station responded to Sikelele Street in Bluegum section for a house reported to be ablaze.

“On arrival, members of the community were found to have initiated fire extinguishing operations, using the bucket brigade system. Flames were halted from causing extensive damage to the property.

“Four occupants were found lying outside the burnt structure, covered under the blankets. An elderly female, aged around 70; a female patient, aged around 10 years; and two males, three-year-old twins. They had no visible burn wounds as treated by paramedics, and all were declared dead on scene,” Ntladi said.

Smoke inhalation

Ntladi added that preliminary investigations led to possible smoke inhalation as the cause of death.

“The two-roomed RDP house is still intact; what burnt is the mattress and part of the headboard.”

“The scene was handed over to South African Police Services (Saps) Officers together with DEMS Fire Safety Officers to commence with their investigations and arrangement of the bodies’ removal to an appropriate pathological facility,” Ntladi said.

*Picture: Ekurhuleni Emergency Services*

Shack fire

Last month, a 13-year-old child died when more than 200 shacks were burnt down at the Plastic View informal settlement in Pretoria East in two separate fire incidents in less than a week.

On 24 May, a fire destroyed approximately 150 shacks and, four days later, on Thursday, another 100 shacks burnt in a second fire.

City of Tshwane Emergency Services spokesperson and deputy chief Nana Radebe-Kgiba said preliminary information from the community indicates the fire on Thursday night may have started from a leaking gas cylinder in a shack where a deceased child was found.