Durban — Two women and two children are said to have died following a house fire in Verulam, north of Durban, on Saturday night.
Reaction Unit South Africa (Rusa) spokesperson Prem Balram said that two women and two children were burnt beyond recognition after their informal home caught alight on Tottenham Road in Parkgate.
Balram said that residents contacted Rusa at approximately 10.29pm after they discovered the informal home engulfed in flames.
He said that reaction officers were immediately dispatched and on arrival were informed that the occupants were trapped in the house.
The eTthekwini Fire and Rescue Services arrived shortly afterwards and extinguished the blaze, Balram said.
“Four charred remains were recovered in the rubble. The deceased's are believed to be an elderly woman and her minor grandson and granddaughter. The identity of the second female has not been confirmed,” Balram said.
He added that circumstances leading up to the fire have not been established at this stage.
Reacting to the incident, Alesha Rose said: “Still unbelievable to me, knowing all of them!!”
“God please give the family the strength to overcome this grief that's unbearable,” Rose said.
Also commenting on the incident, Queen Cthandwa Shezi said it was her home.
Shezi also said that the victims died painfully at her home. They were renting the property.
Police spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda said that Verulam police opened an inquest after four people allegedly burnt to death on Tottenham Road in Parkgate, Verulam on Saturday night.
“It is reported that the four deceased, a 49-year-old mother and her two children aged 2 and 3 years old, together with another person who was yet to be identified, burnt beyond recognition when the shack they were sleeping in caught fire and burned down just after 10pm,” Netshiunda said.
“Four other shacks were also completely destroyed by fire but the occupants reportedly managed to escape unharmed. No foul play is suspected at this stage.”
Meanwhile, a Wendy house was gutted in fire in Brake Village earlier this month.
Rusa officers were dispatched to the scene and discovered the wooden structure engulfed in flames.
“Rusa members with assistance from the public contained the fire and prevented it from spreading to the main building. The fire was doused on the arrival of the eThekwini Fire Department,” Balram said.
He said that the cause of the blaze was not immediately established.
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