They died in their beds

Published Jul 14, 2016

Share

by Zainul Dawood

Durban - There were scenes of despair at a Durban children’s home early on Thursday morning, after eight boys died and several were injured in a blaze.

It is believed the boys, aged 8 to 21, had been asleep in a cottage at the Lakehaven Child and Youth Care Centre in Sea Cow Lake when the fire broke out at about 2am.

Some of the children, including youngsters who do not have families to go home to during the holidays, were said to have died in their beds.

A caregiver who was in the cottage managed to get 10 boys to safety.

Ish Prahladh, of Iron Force security, which guards the premises, said they were able to save two caregivers and two children.

“We tried to put the blaze out ourselves. We saved four lives on scene before the firefighters arrived,” he said.

It is not clear how many boys were in the cottage at the time.

According to a social worker, the boys had been looking forward to starting the third term at school on Monday. Children at the home normally go out to families for the holiday, but this was not the case for these children.

“The victims are aged between 8 and 21 years old. Four people have been taken to hospital,” said KwaZulu-Natal Emergency Medical Services spokesman, Robert McKenzie.

Staff and social workers arriving at the orphanage on Thursday morning were visibly shocked.

Several women walked onto the property weeping uncontrollably as social workers began arriving to counsel the survivors at the home, a project of Child Welfare Durban and District.

Dr Macken Maistry, the deputy principal of a nearby school, rushed to the scene to check if any of the children from the school had died.

Meanwhile, police waited for pathologists to arrive before they could begin the process of removing bodies.

A private security guard prevented the media from entering the premises at the main entrance, but a building with a burnt roof could be seen from the gate.

McKenzie said emergency services had responded to a call at about 2am and had completed their work at about 6am.

Apart from the dead, he said four others had “sustained minor injuries that were treated on the scene and they were then taken to hospital for further treatment”.

“Three of them will be treated for smoke inhalation, while the other had lacerations on his body,” McKenzie said.

Sources at the scene confirmed the injured had been transported to Addington Hospital for treatment.

Police spokesman, Lieutenant-Colonel Thulani Zwane, described the incident as tragic. He said the children had been asleep when the fire broke out.

“The area is a crime scene. The bodies of the victims are still on the scene. Eight have died. Two others were taken to hospital for smoke inhalation.”

He added that Newlands East police were investigating.

The home, in Centre Road, was established 58 years ago to cater for the needs of 60 children. It caters for those who have been abused, neglected or abandoned.They are placed there by court order.

Child Welfare has invited the public to spend 67 minutes at any one of its facilities on Monday, which is Mandela Day.

Related Topics: