Law enforcement authorities in Christiana, North West, have launched an investigation into the circumstances that led to the tragic deaths of five family members, whose bodies were recovered from their charred home on Sunday.
Who discovered the bodies of the Christiana family?
In a statement, police spokesperson Brigadier Sabata Mokgwabone confirmed emergency medical officials and law enforcement authorities were summoned to a property in Marikana, a community situated near Geluksoord in North West, in the wee hours of Sunday morning after a neighbour witnessed smoke permeating from the house.
It was approximately 03:30, and when the unidentified eyewitness had knocked on the neighbour’s door to alert them of the smoke coming from their house, alarm bells rang off when a response had not come from inside.
According to Brig Mokgwabone, the eyewitness alerted the neighbourhood of the horror unfolding at the house next to his when he’d attempted to open the doors but realised they were al locked, including the windows.
“The man ran back to his house where he fetched an iron rod. While alerting others about the incident, he went back to the house where he broke and opened all the doors and the windows,” Brig Mokgwabone noted.
What caused the deadly inferno?
Without the appropriate gear, the man and other concerned neighbours had to wait until the thick plumes of smoke had subsided before they entered the house to check on the family.
Inside the property, went through every room in search of the family and sure enough, the first horrific scene was witnessed in the sitting room, where the bodies of two children aged eight and 15, respectively, were discovered.
It did not take long for residents to stumble on more shocking scenes.
“They found the body of a three-year-old boy child while the two bodies of the couple, aged 38 and 48 were found in the main bedroom. All the victims were declared dead at the scene by Emergency Medical and Rescue Services (EMRS) paramedics,” Brig Mokgwabone revealed.
Investigations are currently underway to determine the cause of the fire but preliminary observations suggest that “no foul play is suspected at this stage.”