A two-month-old baby is lucky to be alive after “escaping” a shack fire that claimed his 31-year-old mother’s life.
The incident happened in Zwezwe informal settlement, Khayelitsha, on Saturday evening 12 November.
According to witnesses, the child was left by the mother in the care of friends as the area was experiencing load shedding.
The mother returned to the shack to carry out some household chores.
It is believed she fell asleep and when the power was restored her shack allegedly caught fire.
Attempts by the residents to put out the blaze were in vain.
When City Vision visited the area on Monday 14 November, the shack was still on the ground.
City’s spokesperson for Fire & Rescue Service Jermaine Carelse said at approximately 22:25 the City’s Fire & Rescue Service received an emergency call of an informal structure burning in Ntomntwana Street.
“Crews from Khayelitsha, Lansdowne and Belhar were dispatched to the scene and found a single structure engulfed in flames. The body of an adult female was discovered under the debris,” he said.
Carelse said the fire was extinguished at 23:07 and the cause of the fire is unknown.
Harare Police Station spokesperson Captain Siyabulela Vukubi said Harare police have opened an inquest docket.
“The incident was attended by the police on Saturday 12 November at around 23:00 where they found a charred body of a female who died in the shack. The age of the victim is 31 years and there is no foul play suspected at this stage,” he said.
Anyone with more information about this incident is requested to contact the Investigating Officer D/Sgt Njabulo Radebe on 081 236 0943.