Cape Town – Two men, a woman and three children have lost their lives, while an as yet undetermined number of people have been injured or left homeless after a fire broke out at a block of flats in Chicago, Paarl East, this morning.
The fire has been extinguished, but a fire rescue service crew of the Drakenstein Municipality is still on the scene.
Western Cape police spokesperson Captain FC van Wyk said officers had been called out to a fire in Kudu Street at 8am.
"On arrival, the Paarl East fire department was already on the scene busy extinguishing the fire. A shack at the back of Kudu flats burnt down during morning time.
"After cleaning the scene, they found six burnt bodies under the rubble. The identities of the bodies still unknown. It’s believe to be one adult female, a baby, two toddlers and two young men.
"The cause of fire unknown at this stage. An inquest case was registered for investigation," Van Wyk said.
Conrad Poole, executive mayor of the Drakenstein Municipality, has expressed his condolences to the families of the six victims.
“On behalf of Drakenstein Municipality, I extend our heartfelt sympathies to the loved ones of the victims, as well as those who suffered injuries in this fire. The entire community has been shaken by this tragedy,” Poole said.
Poole added that the municipality would do everything within its mandate to assist those affected by the fire.
"An undetermined number of structures were destroyed and adjoining rental flats were also damaged in the blaze," he said.
"Once the SAPS have concluded their work at the scene, the municipality will do an assessment of the damage and disaster relief assistance will be arranged."