Deadly fire leaves three kids orphaned
As relatives mourn their loss, residents ransack gutted house
THREE young children have been left orphaned by a fire that gutted their home and claimed the lives of their parents.
Ricardo Fredericks and Chantal Lucas were killed when their house in Lentegeur, Mitchells Plain was gutted on Sunday.
The city’s fire and rescue service has yet to determine the cause of the blaze, and police spokesman Captain FC van Wyk said an inquest docket had been opened.
Van Wyk revealed that after the fire had been extinguished, the bodies of the parents were found lying “near where the front door once was”.
The three children – aged 1, 5 and 10 – are in the care of relatives.
Fredericks’s mother, Elizabeth said she could not believe that she would never see her boy again.
“My son was a good boy, I loved him so much. “I will miss him, he was a lovely child.” Chantal’s sister, Joelene Davids, said rescuers had arrived on the scene too late to save the couple when they heard about the fire.
“When I came here the house was already on fire and there was nothing we could do but luckily someone had saved the children. I really don’t know what could have caused the fire.”
As family members tried to clean the debris and salvage any valuables, other residents were already ransacking the gutted house for scrap.
Christopher Fredericks said his brother, Ricardo, was a good person.
“He had a good heart and was always eager to help other people. “I will miss him.” Neighbours helping with the clean-up yesterday would often stop to give comfort and share warm words with the distraught family.
Fire and Rescue Service’s Theo Lane said the cause of the fire was still undetermined.
Another fire that claimed the life of a man in Nyanga is also being investigated.
Anyone with information can contact investigating officer Detective Sergeant Daniel Brandt at Lentegeur SAPS on 021 377 5000 or 082 411 2382.