A five-year-old died in Cape Town on Tuesday after hiding under a bed when he started a fire by playing with paper near a paraffin heater.
Fire and Rescue spokesman Theo Layne said the fire‚ in Samora Machel‚ also destroyed 20 shacks and left 66 people homeless.
Layne said the five-year-old’s grandmother‚ who was looking after him‚ fled her shack when she saw the fire‚ not knowing the boy was under the bed.
The incident brought the week’s shack fire death toll in Cape Town to 10.
On Monday evening‚ a Gugulethu resident sustained fatal injuries when his home went up in flames.
“This office can confirm a shack fire in NY129‚ Gugulethu‚ where a 59-year-old man was fatally injured. An inquest case was registered for investigation. No foul play is suspected. Investigations continues‚” said police spokesman Captain FC van Wyk.
Less than 24 hours earlier‚ eight family members died in a fire in the Taiwan settlement in Khayelitsha. The youngest victim was two and the oldest 60.
Layne said four shacks were destroyed and 22 people were left homeless.
5-year-old dies after hiding under bed when he started fire
Image: STOCK
A five-year-old died in Cape Town on Tuesday after hiding under a bed when he started a fire by playing with paper near a paraffin heater.
Fire and Rescue spokesman Theo Layne said the fire‚ in Samora Machel‚ also destroyed 20 shacks and left 66 people homeless.
Layne said the five-year-old’s grandmother‚ who was looking after him‚ fled her shack when she saw the fire‚ not knowing the boy was under the bed.
The incident brought the week’s shack fire death toll in Cape Town to 10.
On Monday evening‚ a Gugulethu resident sustained fatal injuries when his home went up in flames.
“This office can confirm a shack fire in NY129‚ Gugulethu‚ where a 59-year-old man was fatally injured. An inquest case was registered for investigation. No foul play is suspected. Investigations continues‚” said police spokesman Captain FC van Wyk.
Less than 24 hours earlier‚ eight family members died in a fire in the Taiwan settlement in Khayelitsha. The youngest victim was two and the oldest 60.
Layne said four shacks were destroyed and 22 people were left homeless.
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