Residents tell of efforts to rescue brothers killed in fire
MOURNING Gugulethu residents yesterday spoke of their efforts to save two children who were killed in a blaze in Phola Park informal settlement.
Twelve-year-old Ayanda Mcelu and nine-year-old Sinalo Mcelu died in a fire that damaged four shacks on Wednesday morning.
City Fire and Rescue Services said they received a call for assistance just after 7.30am. When firefighters arrived at the scene of the fire in Phola Park they found several informal structures alight, but managed to contain and extinguish the blaze by 8.3am.
Fire and Rescue Services spokesperson Jermaine Carelse said: “Going through debris, firefighters made the grisly discovery of the two bodies in one of the shacks.
“By that time the police had arrived on the scene, and took over from the Fire and Rescue Service,” he said
Police spokesperson FC van Wyk said an inquest case was registered at Gugulethu SAPS and it was unknown how the fire started.
Family member Olwethu Bhilikwana said they were struggling to come to terms with the deaths.
“We are shocked and disturbed by the incident.”
Bhilikwana said they noticed the fire was coming from his sister’s house with the door locked.
“We heard people shouting that it was burning, and we realised that the fire was coming from my sister’s house. The community rushed and tried to put out the fire, but what made it difficult to save the children was the fire that was by the door and the burglar gate that was locked.
“It saddens us that the children died in this manner,” said Bhilikwana.