Five Pretoria West family members perished while a mother and child managed to escape with minor injuries after a house fire in the early hours of Wednesday.

Tshwane Emergency Services spokesperson Charles Mabaso said the five deceased included a 6-year-old boy, three men aged 18, 22 and 24, and a 46-year-old woman.

A mother, aged 45, and a 3-year-old boy escaped the blaze.

Mabaso said the city’s emergency services team received a call at about 1.30am.

“The first firefighting unit to arrive on the scene found the house fully engulfed by fire, with parts of the roof having collapsed.”

They were informed by bystanders that people were trapped inside the house, he said.

Mabaso said the information was confirmed by the woman who escaped the blaze with a minor scratch on her forehead and smoke inhalation.

“She and the child were treated for smoke inhalation and transported to Pretoria West Hospital for further observation,” he said.

Two bodies were discovered shortly after by firefighters and the remaining bodies were recovered  during damping/cooling down operations and after the fire was extinguished, he said.

Mabaso said the cause of the blaze is being investigated by fire safety officers and law enforcement agencies.

TimesLIVE