Firefighters from Ekurhuleni Disaster and Emergency Management Services (DEMS) responded swiftly to a house fire, on Tuesday.
The fire in Oak Avenue, Primrose, happened at about 12.58pm and gutted the six-room home.
“Upon the arrival of the firefighters, the occupant of the house, an elderly lady, was standing astonished outside the gate watching her house and its contents going up in flames,” said William Ntladi, district manager media liaison for DEMS.
“Forcible entry was done to access the premises as the gates were locked.”
Information gathered from the homeowner on the scene indicated that she had locked the house and the gate and left to go shopping.
“When she returned she was confronted by this dreadful sight.
“To her surprise, the padlock on the gate was not the one she had used before to lock it but a different one altogether,” Ntaldi said.
“There were some swear words written in red paint on the inside perimeter wall fencing as well.
“On questioning, all these were new surprises to her.”
After firefighters extinguished the blaze, the scene was handed over to the police for further investigation.
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