Cape Town fire services quickly responded on Monday afternoon to two separate fires in Parow and Sea Point.
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According to Jermaine Carelse, spokesperson for the City of Cape Town’s Fire and Rescue Service, six fire engines and four water tankers were dispatched to both locations.
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Carelse reported that the fire in Parow was brought under control by 5:50pm. However, ten minutes later, firefighters discovered the body of a child amidst the rubble. The blaze had affected several flats, leaving many residents displaced. After extinguishing the fire, the scene was handed over to the police for further investigation.
Marsha Adams, a nearby resident, described the fire as devastating for the community, especially for the family of the child who perished. ‘As a parent, you can’t even imagine burying your child,’ she said.
Adams recounted arriving home from work to find the fire. ‘I saw black smoke coming from one of the buildings and immediately went to check.’
She noted that although firefighters had arrived, the building’s roof was already destroyed.
‘The firefighters did their best to contain the fire; unfortunately, it was just too intense.’
Western Cape police spokesperson Colonel Malcolm Pojie confirmed that officers arrived at the Parow fire scene around 5pm and found a five-year-old girl who had died from her injuries. An inquest docket has been opened for further investigation, with the cause and circumstances of the fire still under review.
In a separate incident, a fire broke out in a house on Antrim Road in Three Anchor Bay just after 2pm. Carelse stated that multiple fire crews from various stations were sent to the scene, where the blaze originated in the roof void of one of three semi-detached properties.
All three homes were affected, and a firefighter was injured when part of the roof collapsed. The fire, which was started by workers using a blowtorch, was extinguished by 5:20pm.
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