A mother and her 18-month-old baby boy burnt to death in a shack fire that left at least 40 people destitute in Phola Park informal settlement in Philippi yesterday.
Eight shacks were gutted and in each case the house-holds lost all their possessions.
It is believed that Whitney Phillips, 24, and her son Zuko died after a gas stove was left on during the night.
Warrant Officer Nondumiso Paul said the police had opened an inquest docket. She added that, according to information received, the woman had been drinking and fell asleep while cooking.
The grief-stricken father, security guard Vuyisa Mtengwana, 26, was working the night shift when he received the call in the early hours.
“My brother called me about the fire. When I got there it looked very bad. People were shouting and everything was red,” he said.
Mtengwana said he had wanted to get married soon. “I was thinking about it, but now they are gone.” He said his girlfriend’s family, who live in Elsies River, would probably arrange the funeral.
Lucia Lolwana, 36, and her six children also lost all their possessions. “All we heard was screams and when we got up the place was burning. We lost everything, our food and clothes – all gone.”
She said council officials had handed out building materials at the site and by late afternoon people were already rebuilding their structures.
City of Cape Town fire and rescue services spokesman Theo Layne said they had been called out just before 3am, and when they arrived eight structures were alight. “We had two fire engines, two water tenders and a rescue vehicle on the scene. While we were busy we found the bodies of a woman and child.”
Layne said it took firefighters over an hour to extinguish the blaze.
Disaster Risk Management spokesman Wilfred Solomons-Johannes said disaster management officials were on the scene to assist with the necessary relief aid.
He said at least 60 people had lost their lives in shack fires across the metropole this year and this figure could be higher because there were no statistics for people who died in hospital due to shack fires.
“The city is concerned about the increase in the death rate in informal settlement fires. Between July and December last year only 29 people died according to our records. We are taking the matter very seriously and have embarked on a programme to reduce the number of fire fatalities.”
Solomons-Johannes appealed to people, particularly those living in informal settlements, to take care when using gas stoves or open fires.
“People need to change their behaviour. Under no circumstances can an open fire or gas stove be left unattended.”
- Weekend Argus
Eight shacks were gutted and in each case the house-holds lost all their possessions.
It is believed that Whitney Phillips, 24, and her son Zuko died after a gas stove was left on during the night.
Warrant Officer Nondumiso Paul said the police had opened an inquest docket. She added that, according to information received, the woman had been drinking and fell asleep while cooking.
The grief-stricken father, security guard Vuyisa Mtengwana, 26, was working the night shift when he received the call in the early hours.
“My brother called me about the fire. When I got there it looked very bad. People were shouting and everything was red,” he said.
Mtengwana said he had wanted to get married soon. “I was thinking about it, but now they are gone.” He said his girlfriend’s family, who live in Elsies River, would probably arrange the funeral.
Lucia Lolwana, 36, and her six children also lost all their possessions. “All we heard was screams and when we got up the place was burning. We lost everything, our food and clothes – all gone.”
She said council officials had handed out building materials at the site and by late afternoon people were already rebuilding their structures.
City of Cape Town fire and rescue services spokesman Theo Layne said they had been called out just before 3am, and when they arrived eight structures were alight. “We had two fire engines, two water tenders and a rescue vehicle on the scene. While we were busy we found the bodies of a woman and child.”
Layne said it took firefighters over an hour to extinguish the blaze.
Disaster Risk Management spokesman Wilfred Solomons-Johannes said disaster management officials were on the scene to assist with the necessary relief aid.
He said at least 60 people had lost their lives in shack fires across the metropole this year and this figure could be higher because there were no statistics for people who died in hospital due to shack fires.
“The city is concerned about the increase in the death rate in informal settlement fires. Between July and December last year only 29 people died according to our records. We are taking the matter very seriously and have embarked on a programme to reduce the number of fire fatalities.”
Solomons-Johannes appealed to people, particularly those living in informal settlements, to take care when using gas stoves or open fires.
“People need to change their behaviour. Under no circumstances can an open fire or gas stove be left unattended.”
- Weekend Argus
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