Independent look at Lakehaven fire
THE LAKEHAVEN Child and Youth Care Centre will launch an independent multi-disciplinary inquiry into the July fire that killed eight children.
This was announced yesterday by the president of the centre, Dr Kerusha Govender at its Open Day, where the youngsters were remembered.
While Govender was unable to attend, her keynote speech was delivered by board member Rajan Pillay.
Govender said, “The fire of July 2016 shook this organisation to its core. The harsh reality of our loss was and still is felt, especially by those on this very property who must get up, dust themselves off and continue with daily life.”
Govender said the investigation into the incident has taken time because of “subtleties in this incident that required highly sophisticated investigation”, hence the delay.
“To overcome this, we decided that in addition to the regular follow-up with authorities to expedite the investigation, we would launch a multi-disciplinary independent inquiry to shed light, not only on the factors concerning the fire, but also other health and safety issues affecting our staff and children.”
The eight died when a fire ripped through one of the cottages where the children were sleeping. Seven of the victims were minors, with the youngest being 7 years old. Ten people were injured. An investigation into the cause of the fire was launched by the Fire Department and the Department of Social Development.
At the Open Day, visitors were taken on a tour through the cottages which have now been fitted with extensive fire and safety equipment.
Every cottage has two fire extinguishers, while emergency doors and windows have been fitted.
Senior child care worker, Khadija Tinambo said that regular fire drills had been implemented and staff trained as to what to do in an emergency.