Three children died in a shack fire after being left alone

‘It is alleged that at about 6:15, the father of the children left for work and the mother left the sleeping children to go to a nearby shop,’ said police.

Sep 5, 2022 - 15:00
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Three children died in a shack fire after being left alone

The police in the Eastern Cape have opened an inquest docket after three children died in a shack fire in New Brighton on Monday morning, 5 September.

THREE CHILDREN PERISH IN FIRE

South African Police Service (SAPS) spokesperson Colonel Priscilla Naidu said the three children were asleep in their home in Pendle Street when the shack caught fire.

“It is alleged that at about 6:15, the father of the children left for work and the mother left the sleeping children to go to a nearby shop,” said Naidu.

When the mother returned from the shop, she found the shack on fire. Community members attempted to extinguish the blaze but it was too intense, said police.

The fire brigade eventually put out the fire but it was too late to save the children. The bodies of an 11-month-old boy, a five-year-old boy and a three-year-old girl were positively identified.

The police said the cause of the fire is yet to be established.

TODDLER FELL FROM 12TH FLOOR

In an unrelated incident in Gauteng, a 37-year-old man was arrested for child negligence after his daughter fell from the 12th floor of their Johannesburg flat. The accused allegedly left the infant alone at home and went to work.

READ MORE: Three-year-old girl fell to death from 12th floor after dad left her alone

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