Three burnt beyond recognition in horror Cape Town blaze

Three bodies burnt beyond recognition have been recovered from a gutted house after a fire razed the two-storey building in an overnight blaze in Cape Town.

The ages and gender of the victims were unknown, City of Cape Town fire services spokesperson Jermaine Carelse said on Monday.

Firefighters responded to the scene in Boom Street, Philippi, at 23.35pm on Sunday night, he confirmed.

“As Ottery’s fire crew arrived first on scene, they found a double-storey [Nutec] dwelling fully engulfed in flames with the roof and first floor already caved in. Immediately more resources were called upon,” he said.

“The initial search of the property led to the discovery of two bodies burnt beyond recognition. The South African Police Service dog unit was requested to search the property further.”

Two people had reportedly been unaccounted for, but Carelse later confirmed that a third corpse had been found while the debris was being cleared after the fire was extinguished shortly before 07.00am.

The scene was handed over to the police’s forensics department for further investigation.

The cause of the fire had not yet been determined, he added.

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