A 13-YEAR-OLD CHILD DIED IN MULTIPLE SHACK FIRE INCIDENT AT PLASTIC VIEW INFORMAL SETTLEMENT

Plastic View Informal Settlement fire incident photos supplied

The City of Tshwane Emergency Services Department responded to a multiple shack
fire incident at Plastic View Informal Settlement in Moreleta Park late last night.

Emergency Services received the fire call shortly before midnight, and firefighting
resources from Central, Silverton, Erasmuskloof and Mamelodi Fire Stations were
immediately dispatched to the scene.

Approximately 100 shacks were affected by the fire.

Firefighters worked tirelessly
throughout the night to contain the blaze and prevent it from spreading further to
nearby structures.

During search and recovery operations conducted after the fire was extinguished,
firefighters discovered the body of a 13-year-old child in the area where the fire
allegedly started.

The child was declared dead on scene.

The parents of the deceased child and a younger sibling sustained burn injuries and were transported to a nearby medical facility.

Preliminary information from the community indicates that the fire may have started
from a leaking gas cylinder in the shack where the deceased child was found.

Disaster Risk Management teams are currently on scene conducting mop-up
operations, assessments and verifications to assist displaced families affected by the incident.

Disaster Risk Management is also consolidating efforts with other City
departments and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to coordinate relief and support for displaced families.