A fire destroyed 12 structures at Marathon Informal Settlement. The cause is under investigation.
Four people, including children aged two, five and seven, died in a fire at Marathon Informal Settlement in Germiston on the evening of October 8. The blaze destroyed 12 shacks. Ekurhuleni emergency services gave those details, while local outlet The Citizen independently confirmed the death toll and number of structures destroyed.
Ekurhuleni Emergency Management Services spokesperson William Ntladi said the call came in at about 8:37 p.m. Firefighters from several stations responded, and paramedics declared all four victims dead at the scene. Ntladi said the bodies were found beneath the rubble.
The scene was then handed to the South African Police Service for investigation and rehabilitation, and the victims were taken to a pathology facility in Germiston. The cause of the fire has not been determined. The Citizen also reported that the fourth victim was an adult whose age was not specified.