A shack fire claimed the life of a 26-year-old man in the early hours of this morning at around 3AM. The City of Johannesburg Emergency Management Services (EMS) said it responded to the fire at a house in Doornkop, Soweto, where the man was declared dead on the scene. It’s reported that he died of smoke inhalation.

BODY DISCOVERED DURING FIRE 

Spokesperson Robert Mulaudzi said the EMS responded to a fire and that during the operation, the firefighters found the body of a 26-year-old male who lost his life during the incident. Mulaudzi said the cause of the fire is still unknown. "The cause of the fire incident at this stage is still the subject of investigation and no other injuries were reported," he said. He said firefighters will be visiting other places which have had fire incidents to teach them how to safely use heating devices. "The City of Johannesburg public education unit continues to do door-to-door campaigns, this morning they will be visiting the area of Msawawa Informal Settlements in Kya Sands to educate residents about the safe use of heating devices," he said.

SERIES OF FIRE

A shack fire also claimed one life in George Goch on Sunday, while at least 10 homes were destroyed in a separate blaze in Kya Sands. An 82-year-old man also died as a result of smoke inhalation when his home in Emndeni caught fire on 4 August. In June, two children died in a house fire in Doornkop. Fire also broke out in the Msawawa squatter camp in the same month. Last week one person died and about 100 others were left without homes after a shack burnt down at an informal settlement in Fleurhof.