Durban - The body of a 38-year-old man was recovered after a fire destroyed several homes in the Waterloo area, north of Durban in the early hours of Sunday morning.
In a statement on Sunday, Reaction Unit SA (Rusa) spokesperson, Prem Balram, said the remains of a man, 38, was found after several homes were gutted by a fire on Ithemba Lama Africa Road just after 1am.
Balram said Rusa had received multiple calls requesting assistance.
He said upon arrival Rusa officers found that several homes on one property were engulfed in flames.
“Residents were attempting to extinguish the fire with buckets of water,” said Balram.
He said eThekwini Fire and Rescue Services soon arrived and battled the blaze.
“The charred remains of a man were discovered among the debris,” said Balram.
Balram said Rusa officers spoke to the brother of the deceased man.
“According to the brother of the deceased, he was asleep in the main building when his wife alerted him to the fire. As he exited the main building he found his tenants salvaging valuables from several single room makeshift homes situated in the property.
“The fire spread rapidly through the rest of the buildings while the victim was still inside one of the wood and iron homes. The main building was also extensively damaged in the fire,” he said.
Balram added that the circumstances surrounding the cause of the fire were not immediately established.
The police were contacted for comment but had not responded by the time of publication.
