Durban - Two sisters were burnt to death when the shack in which they had been left alone caught alight near Nelspruit on Wednesday morning.
Netcare 911 spokeswoman Athlenda Mathe said the toddlers, aged two and three, were found under the bed in the shack in an informal settlement in Brondal, about 23 kilometres outside Nelspruit.
“Reports from the scene indicate that the children, aged two and three years old, were alone at the time when the shack caught fire,” said Mathe.
She said that by the time paramedics arrived on scene the fire had been extinguished, but there was little that could be done for the girls, who were declared dead at the scene.
Police were on scene investigating the blaze.
Mathe urged parents not to leave young children unattended. “We also plead with parents to be careful with the use of candles and paraffin stoves during this winter season,” she said.
African News Agency