A man and his three year-old daughter have been killed in a shake fire in the Ramaphosa Informal Settlement in Boksburg, Ekurhuleni. The structure was engulfed in the early hours of Thursday.

‘Father started the fire intentionally‘

The man is believed to have intentionally started the fire with his three children inside the home – the other two managed escape with minimal injuries.

The children – a boy (aged seven) and girl (aged five) reportedly fled prior to the fire and screamed for help, prompting a neighbour to intervene. The father then locked himself and his child before setting the shack alight.

Firefighters from the City of Ekurhuleni’s emergency services unit rushed to the scene after receiving a phone call about the incident. On arrival, they found the one-roomed shack in flames and neighbours trying to extinguish the fire using buckets of water. The fighter fighters then took action and the blaze was soon doused.

“Frantically, neighbours tried to open the door to save both from the horror of fire, but it was too little too late when the objective was met”, Ntladi said.

Police investigating the incident

The South African Police Services (SAPS) officers received the crime scene from firefighters and started with their investigations and the removal of the bodies to an appropriate Pathological facility.

he children were then transported by ambulance to Bertha Gxowa hospital in Germiston for medical and psychological treatment.  It is alleged that the mother wasn’t home at the time on the incident.

Meanwhile, the summer season sees a spike in informal settlement fires. At least five people have been killed in separate shack fires in Cape Town, on Christmas Day.