The grandfather of two children who died in a house fire has told of how he battled the blaze alone with a bucket after he was woken up by their mother’s hysterical cry for help.
Siphiwe Khumalo, one, and his brother Austin Khumalo, five, were killed when a fire engulfed their bedroom in Snake Park, Soweto, at about 2am on Thursday.
The deaths of the Khumalo siblings has brought into sharp focus the dire need for fire trucks in the city, with Ward 50 councillor Bheki Mgaga labelling the lack of these engines as disastrous.
The children’s grandfather Bongani Makhubo told Sowetan he had been sleeping in one of the back rooms when the children’s mother Nhlanhla Khumalo screamed for help.
“I heard a scream coming from outside. She was screaming, 'kuyasha, kuyasha' (it's burning, it's burning).
“When I stepped out and saw some smoke coming from the house, I asked her where the children were and she said they were still in the house,” recalled Makhubo.
“I ran into the house, the smoke was coming from the children's room. I opened the door and saw smoke and flames. I ran to the kitchen, got water with a bucket and I poured into the bedroom but the smoke was blinding me. I had to move outside the house, break the bedroom window and start pouring the water from outside.
“I was running into the kitchen to draw water and then back outside to pour it into the bedroom to try put out the fire. I can't remember how many times I did that. At some point I was convinced that I had put out the fire, only to realise I had not when I wanted to get into the bedroom to look for the children.”
He said his partner was calling emergency management services (EMS).
“I inhaled some smoke and resorted to wearing a mask. I kept running in and out of the house with a bucket full of water. As I was putting out the fire, I did not hear the children scream at all.”
Makhubo said when he had finally put out the fire, he found the charred bodies of the little boys, whom he could only identify by their body sizes.
“Austin was in a sitting position in one corner of the room. It looked like he was trying to protect himself from the flames. Siphiwe was on the bed. It looks like he couldn't move,” he said.
Makhubo said the fire engine took between 30 and 45 minutes to arrive, and by then he had already put out the fire.
City of Joburg EMS said an unattended candle started the fire.
“An open light has been determined as the cause of fire when conducting preliminary investigations. It is unfortunate that most of these incidents are caused by open flames and unsafe use of heating appliances,” said Joburg EMS spokesperson Nana Radebe-Kgiba.
Khumalo said she was woken up by pain in her hand as it was burning.
“All I remember is my eldest son and I saying a prayer. We do that every night before bed... I fell asleep and was woken up by excruciating pain on my hand and realised I was burning and there is fire in the bedroom.
“I don't remember how I managed to get out but I did. I called out for my uncle and told him the children were still in the house,” she said.
Earlier this month, Sowetan reported that six months after the city launched the start of the manufacturing of much-needed fire trucks, it had abandoned its contractor and was preparing to re-advertise the work to new bidders.
This meant it would take much longer than the initial May 2024 deadline set for new trucks to hit the streets.
The city, which battles about 120 fires per month, especially in informal settlements, needs least 40 more fire engines to function adequately.
MMC for public safety Mgcini Tshwaku told Sowetan at the time that they had decided to re-advertise the tender.
Mgaga said: “The lack of trucks is affecting ordinary people on the ground. We have had a few other fires that were put out by community members because EMS arrived after the fact.
“The sooner a decision is made about procuring the fire trucks the better.”
Neighbour Nothikela Ncokoto said the children died a painful death.
“I can’t imagine how long they must have screamed until they couldn't scream any more,” she said.
Radebe-Kgiba urged communities to take necessary precautions when using heating appliances and avoid leaving candles unattended.
sibiyan@sowetan.co.za
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