An elderly woman died in a fire residents were unable to douse because the water had been turned off in the area.
Cape Town police say the 84-year-old pensioner was stuck inside her relatives' Athlone house after a suspected electrical fault caused the blaze.
Residents said the grandmother could have been saved if the hydrants were supplied with water.
A neighbour said the hydrants had been shut down on Sunday after a leak was reported at Garlandale Primary School.
John Stevens, 68, said the area has been without water since the weekend.
He said he saw city officials turn off the hydrants on Sunday after 11am.
"They came to turn off the water at the school because of a leak at the school, and the hydrants have been off ever since," he said.
The owner of the house in Renfrew Street, Warren Page, 46, was about to watch a World Cup match on Tuesday night when his TV set suddenly caught fire.
Page told police that he had turned off the TV in his living room to watch the match in his bedroom.
"I heard something in the living room and I went inside and found it on fire," he said.
In an attempt to douse the flames, Warren ran for a hosepipe in his yard.
Firefighter Mark Bosch said their fire trucks ran out of water while trying to put out the fire.
"On our way we heard that there was a woman trapped in the house. She was already dead before our trucks ran out of water," he said.
Police spokesman Ian Bennett said they suspect no foul play.
"The woman was trapped in the house after the fire started," he said.
"The owner suspects that it was an electrical fault but we are still investigating."
Basadien Benjamin says residents were helpless.
"Warren tried to get her out of the house but he couldn't because he started burning as well.
"If there was running water, I'm sure we would have been able to save her," he said.
But the city's Charles Cooper blames vandalism for the dry hydrants.
"Our response team inspected and found private pipes damaged and stolen and proceeded to shut the school's dedicated water supply. Since no one was on site, the supply was left off," he said. - Daily Voice
Cape Town police say the 84-year-old pensioner was stuck inside her relatives' Athlone house after a suspected electrical fault caused the blaze.
Residents said the grandmother could have been saved if the hydrants were supplied with water.
A neighbour said the hydrants had been shut down on Sunday after a leak was reported at Garlandale Primary School.
John Stevens, 68, said the area has been without water since the weekend.
He said he saw city officials turn off the hydrants on Sunday after 11am.
"They came to turn off the water at the school because of a leak at the school, and the hydrants have been off ever since," he said.
The owner of the house in Renfrew Street, Warren Page, 46, was about to watch a World Cup match on Tuesday night when his TV set suddenly caught fire.
Page told police that he had turned off the TV in his living room to watch the match in his bedroom.
"I heard something in the living room and I went inside and found it on fire," he said.
In an attempt to douse the flames, Warren ran for a hosepipe in his yard.
Firefighter Mark Bosch said their fire trucks ran out of water while trying to put out the fire.
"On our way we heard that there was a woman trapped in the house. She was already dead before our trucks ran out of water," he said.
Police spokesman Ian Bennett said they suspect no foul play.
"The woman was trapped in the house after the fire started," he said.
"The owner suspects that it was an electrical fault but we are still investigating."
Basadien Benjamin says residents were helpless.
"Warren tried to get her out of the house but he couldn't because he started burning as well.
"If there was running water, I'm sure we would have been able to save her," he said.
But the city's Charles Cooper blames vandalism for the dry hydrants.
"Our response team inspected and found private pipes damaged and stolen and proceeded to shut the school's dedicated water supply. Since no one was on site, the supply was left off," he said. - Daily Voice
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