Five children die in shack fire while parents out visiting, say police

Five North West children died on Sunday after their shack at Sonderwater informal settlement in Ikageng went up in flames.

The children, between the ages of one and nine, had apparently been left alone by their mothers, two sisters, who had gone out visiting.

Police spokesperson Col Adéle Myburgh said police responded to a report of a shack fire just before midnight.

“Upon arrival, officers discovered a shack that had been destroyed by fire. The bodies of five children were found inside the structure. Emergency medical rescue services, who attended the scene, certified all five children dead.”

Myburgh said preliminary information indicated that the children’s mothers had allegedly left the children at home, alone, to visit a nearby location when they were alerted by community members that the shack was on fire.

“They rushed back to the scene and, together with members of the community, attempted to extinguish the flames using buckets of water,” said Myburgh. “Due to access challenges within the informal settlement, firefighting efforts were severely hampered.

“Three of the deceased children, aged one, seven and nine, are children of one sister, and the other two, aged one and eight, are children from the second sister.”

According to Myburg, this was the second deadly fire in the area in two weeks.

On July 6, she said, a fire at Hashtag informal settlement — also in Ikageng — claimed the lives of four-month-old twin boys who were discovered in the debris after the fire had been subdued.

Acting provincial commissioner of North West Maj-Gen Ryno Naidoo warned that children should never be left alone at home.

“Police once more urge residents to take extra precautions to reduce the risk of house fires as follows, and are warned that children should never be left at home alone,” said Naidoo.

Here are some fire-hazard precautions recommended by the police:

• Never leave candles, paraffin stoves or open flames unattended;
• Extinguish candles and switch off heating devices before going to sleep or leaving home;
• Keep candles, heaters and open flames away from curtains, bedding, clothing and other flammable materials;
• Avoid overloading electrical plugs and extension cords;
• Ensure paraffin stoves and heaters are in good working condition and placed on stable, non-flammable surfaces;
• Do not leave children unattended in homes where candles, heaters, or cooking appliances are in use;
• Keep matches and lighters out of the reach of children;
• Plan an escape route and ensure everyone in the household knows how to evacuate quickly in the event of a fire; and
• If a fire starts, leave the structure immediately and call the fire department or emergency services from a safe location

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