3 minors, 1 adult die in Ekurhuleni informal settle fire - EWN

A devastating fire involving multiple homes has claimed the lives of four people at the Marathon informal settlement, in Germiston, Gauteng.

The blaze on Thursday resulted in the deaths of three minors, aged two, five and seven, with the fourth being an adult of unknown age.

Ekurhuleni Emergency Management Services (EMS) spokesperson William Ntladi said, “On search, rescue and recovery, four charred bodies were found under the burnt rubble. All four were declared dead on scene by paramedics.”

“Following information received on scene, there were people believed to have been trapped inside one of the twelve shacks destroyed by the blaze.”

He added that when firefighters reached the scene, “it was found that community members were desperately battling the blaze using buckets brigade system to prevent fire spread to neighbouring structures”. 

Ntladi said the scene has been handed over to the South African Police Service (SAPS) for investigation, rehabilitation and the removal of the deceased.

The cause of the fire is not yet known, and it remains a subject of investigation.

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