‘They were very good people’: Tragedy as fire claims five family members

Five people died in the blaze in Pretoria West in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

Tshwane Emergency Services spokesperson Charles Mabaso said the victims were a six-year-old boy, three men aged 18, 22 and 24, and a 46-year-old woman. A mother, aged 45, and a three-year-old boy survived.

“I could hear voices, people screaming inside, calling for help,” said Simon Motaung, a neighbour who helped save two family members from a deadly house fire.

Motaung, holding back tears, said he received a call for help from the homeowners at about 1.30am on Wednesday.

“When I got here the house was burning. I tried to get something to break the window and managed to get an axe. I saw the lady inside and helped her come out. I also managed to pull the baby out. When I went to help the others it was too late — the flames were big.”

The woman and child were calling for help during the rescue, he said.

Those left inside fell silent. “They were not screaming any more, I tried to call them by name but didn’t get any response.”

Speaking a few hours after the tragedy, Motaung said: “I am shocked, I am traumatised.”

The 46-year-old said other neighbours also came to help. “They were trying to extinguish the fire with hosepipes. They tried but had no luck.”

When TimesLIVE visited on Wednesday, two cars sat in the yard, the house cordoned off with crime scene tape. Metal scraps and small pieces of slate hung from the roof. An investigator was still on the scene. The house number was intact, next to a broken light.

Untouched by the fire is a cottage in the same yard. A family member living there, Martin Selepe, was unharmed.

A cousin of those who died, he said he woke up at about 1am. All he saw was smoke and heard his family's pleas.

“I don’t know exactly what happened, I only woke up when I heard people screaming.”

Initially he thought there had been a break-in, before realising the house was ablaze.

Motaung said sleep would not come easily after the horrific incident. Describing the members who died, he said he would miss the love and respect they shared: “They were very good people, they were helping me a lot when I was building my house. When I asked for help they were always willing to help me.

“They were always happy, walking about, greeting and laughing.”

Selepe did not know what ignited the blaze. He said the electricity had come back at about 12.30am after load-shedding. However, “I can’t really say it was load-shedding, I don’t know what really happened.” 

He said one of the victims was in matric.

Mabaso said the woman who escaped the blaze had 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.”

The cause of the fire is under investigation by fire safety officers and law enforcement agencies.

TimesLIVE