Teen survives fire that kills family of five in Gauteng

A teenager was the only survivor of a blaze,which killed five family members in the Steve Biko Informal Settlement in Etwatwa,Gauteng.

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A teenager was the only survivor of a blaze,Gauteng.

“Firefighters received the call around 23:48 on Sunday midnight,for a well-alight shack at Steve Biko Informal settlement. Crews from Etwatwa fire station responded promptly to the scene for intervention. The backup system was activated from Springs central fire station immediately prior to arrival on the scene,” Ekurhuleni Disaster and Emergency Management Services spokesperson William Ntladi said.

On their arrival,the team found a five-roomed shack engulfed by flames.

“Fire suppression commenced offensively,using two attack lines from two opposite directions. After the flames were dealt with,search,rescue,and recovery commenced,and five charred bodies were discovered under the burnt structural materials. All five (father,mother,and three children) were declared dead on [the] scene by paramedics,” Ntladi said.

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The teen boy was asleep unharmed in his outside room,which was a few metres away from the main house.

“The cause of the fire is undetermined and is under investigation by fire safety officers and the police. The scene is handed over to South African Police Services officers for rehabilitation and removal of the deceased to appropriate pathological facilities,” Ntladi added.