Six family members recover after Port Dunford fire
A mother and her three children who were burnt in the fire were admitted to hospital.
SIX family members sustained serious burn wounds and were rushed to Ngwelezana Hospital after an electric cable burst into flames.
The accident happened in the early hours of Tuesday morning in the Mahununu area of Port Durnford.
A mother and her three children who were burnt in the fire were admitted to hospital, and a 15 year old girl has since been discharged.
Another family member sustained minor burn wounds to her lower leg, as she tried to put out the flames which had engulfed the bedroom where they had all been sleeping.
‘We were all asleep when I heard an explosion coming from the kitchen, and when I woke up the curtains were burning.
‘Within minutes the fire had spread to where we were sleeping,’ said Mrs T Simelane.
Local ward 18 Cllr Sipho Mthiyane visited the family on Tuesday, and he called on Eskom to assess the damage caused by the fire.
‘I also called on uMhlathuze Municipality’s Disaster Management, who I hope will help the Simelane family with food parcels and other necessities.
They lost items like food, school uniforms for two high school girls, a mattress and a few items of clothing during the fire.’
Mthiyane said in hindsight, together with Eskom, they will soon undertake awareness programmes in the area, to warn the community on the dangers posed by electricity, illegal connections and loose cables.
