A man‚ believed to be in his 50s‚ died on Saturday afternoon from burn injuries sustained when a fire broke out in his flat at the Victoria and Leslie Road intersection in Vereeniging‚ paramedics said.

ER24 spokesman Russel Meiring said that when paramedics arrived on the scene shortly after 1pm the fire had already been extinguished. Paramedics found the man lying next to his bed.

“Upon assessment‚ paramedics found that the man had sustained serious burn injuries and was in a critical condition.

“ER24 paramedics immediately treated the man and provided him with several advanced life support interventions. Once treated‚ the man was transported to a nearby hospital for urgent treatment.

“Unfortunately‚ after a short time in hospital‚ the man finally succumbed to his injuries‚” Meiring said.

He said it was understood that a member of the community had managed to extinguish the fire.

“The cause of the fire is not yet known but local authorities were on the scene to investigate further.”