A Johannesburg community is mourning the tragic death of two four-year-old twins who died in a shack fire at the Zamimpilo informal settlement.
The City of Johannesburg Emergency Management Services (EMS) said firefighters rushed to the scene following reports of a fire that engulfed a shack in the settlement.
“After firefighting operations, firefighters recovered two bodies of four-year-old twins, who unfortunately succumbed to smoke inhalation, and they were confirmed dead by EMS paramedics on scene,” the City said.
The exact cause of the fire is still under investigation.
The tragedy comes as temperatures continue to drop across Gauteng, prompting renewed warnings about the dangers of unsafe heating methods during the winter season.
The City of Johannesburg EMS urged residents to exercise caution when using heating devices such as heaters, braziers and imbawula.
“As City of Johannesburg Emergency Management Services, we are pleading with our residents to continue to look after heating devices like heaters, braziers or imbawula and not leave them unattended, so that we can prevent fire incidents during these extremely cold temperatures,” the spokesperson said.
The incident also follows warnings from the Gauteng Department of Health about an increase in winter burn injuries and fire-related incidents across the province.
No tags for this post.
