One person was killed and six others were injured after their home caught alight in Cornubia, KwaZulu Natal.
At approximately 22:40 members of Reaction Unit South Africa were called out to the scene after residents in the housing complex reported a house on fire. Upon arrival several ambulance services as well as the Ethekwini Fire and Rescue Services and SAPS were on scene.
It was established that 7 people were in the home when the bottom floor of their attached house caught alight. Three children managed to escape through the back door while the rest of the family were trapped on the first floor. The fire spread rapidly through the home.
The deceased is believed to have suffered life threatening injuries after she jumped out of the first floor window and landed on her head. Two other people suffered fractures to their legs after they jumped through the bedroom window. With the use of a ladder neighbours managed to save a 5 year old girl who was the last remaining person in the house. The child had suffered severe burns to her face after the fire had spread to the upper level of the home. The injured were stabilised on scene before being transported to hospital.
The cause of the fire is suspected to be a lit candle that fell over.
South Africa Today – South Africa News
