RANGING flames swept through shacks and a house while residents were asleep.
This resulted in one resident losing his life.
The charred remains of a man was recovered after several shacks were gutted in a fire in Phase 6 Waterloo on Sunday, 7 August.
The Reaction Unit South Africa spokesman Pre Balram said members were patched to Ithemba Lama Africa Road after receiving multiple calls from residents in the area requesting assistance.
He said on arrival, Reaction Officers found that several homes on one property were engulfed in flames.
“Residents were attempting to extinguish the fire with buckets of water. The Ethekwini Fire and Rescue Services arrived shortly thereafter and battled the blaze. The charred remains of a man was discovered among the debris,” Balram said.
He said according to the residents, the deceased was asleep in the main building when his wife alerted him to the fire.
“As he exited the main building, he found his tenants salvaging valuables from several single rooms and makeshift homes situated in the property. The fire spread rapidly throughout the rest of the buildings while the deceased was still inside one of the wood-and-iron homes.
“The main building was also extensively damaged in the fire.”
Balram said circumstances surrounding the cause of the fire were not immediately established.
The KZN police spokeswomen Constable Thenjisiwe Ngcobo confirmed that Verulam police received a complaint of a house fire at Waterloo. On arrival, they noticed that more than one house had caught fire. They were informed that there was a man inside the burning house.
“The fire was extinguished by the fire fighters and a 38-year-old man and declared dead on scene. Circumstances surrounding the incident are being investigated,” said Constable Ngcobo.
