Four people, among them two children aged six and seven, died in separate house fires recently.
House fires are increasing as a result of extended loadshedding, and Ray Nkonyeni Municipality has called on all to be extra careful during these blackouts.
Spokesperson, Simon April said numerous fires were reported during August and September. “The increase of fires could be attributed to frequent Eskom power outages compounded by the dry veld fire season. In total the municipality has recorded 18 formal residential dwelling fires that were reported between August 1 and September 20 with a total of four deaths.”
The recent fires occurred in KwaNzimakwe, Bomela, KwaMadlala, KwaMasinenge Informal Settlement, Oshabeni and KwaNositha.
A 46-year-old woman, Busisiwe Kweshube was found dead at a house in KwaMadlala on Monday this week at about 17:00.
Police spokesperson, Captain Petros Mpinge said Southport Saps responded to a house fire at Intambili, KwaMadlala. An inquest case will be investigated to determine the cause of the fire.
Last Thursday, a Bomela family lost all their belongings after their house caught fire at about 05:00. The family of five escaped without injuries.
A seven-year-old boy, Bandile Ngcobo and his grandmother, Doreen Shusha (78) died in a fire in KwaNzimakwe last Monday. The family lived in Lobi Ward. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
A six-year-old died at Oshabeni near St Faiths and the cause of the fire is yet to be determined.
A local hospital confirmed that its emergency department received eight patients with burn wounds, since the beginning of September. Of the eight, five were children. Since then seven have been discharged with one child still receiving treatment.
SAFETY TIPS
Ray Nkonyeni Municipality advises the community to follow these safety tips to prevent fires:
Contact the fire department on on 039 6825555 or 039 6826247 to report an emergency.
* Heat appliances, including stoves must be switched off before leaving home or going to bed.
* Candles, gas appliances and other sources of lighting and cooking appliances should not to be left unattended.
* If generators are used, ensure that the room is well-ventilated.
* Fire extinguishers should be available and suitably located to handle incipient fires.
* Due to water outages, an alternative water source must be available to deal with fires.
* Never cook near materials that can ignite and start a fire.
* Make sure that all candles are placed in a safe, non-combustible candle-holder away from material that can burn.
* Be aware of the dangers of illegal and faulty electrical connections. An electrical connection must be carried out by an accredited electrician.
* Make sure cigarettes are extinguished.
* Keep a bucket with water to extinguish small fires because fire spreads rapidly.
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