According to ER24 spokesperson Luyanda Majija, when paramedics arrived at the scene they were told that the youngest child, aged four, ran out of the bathroom screaming that “one of the bedrooms had caught fire”.
Majija said the child, together with her teenage siblings and their mother, immediately ran out of the flat. “Their father stayed behind to grab the gas heater out of fear that it would cause an explosion. He suffered from smoke inhalation,” she said.
“The rest of the family was fortunate to have escaped with no injuries, however most of their belongings were scorched to ashes, leaving them without a place to sleep tonight”, said Majija.
Hillbrow police spokesperson Constable Mduduzi Zondo confirmed the incident had taken place and that a case of arson was opened to determine the cause of the fire.