A 45-year-old mom from Pretoria, and her three-year-old son, were the only survivors of a house fire that claimed five lives.
Pretoria mom saves her toddler from house fire
According to a statement released by the City of Tshwane, emergency medical services were despatched to a house in Pretoria West at approximately 01:30 on Wednesday.
By the time medical officials and firefighters arrived at the residence, it had already been swallowed by the inferno. The woman who miraculously managed to make it out of the house with her toddler informed firefighters that five people were still trapped in the house.
“Two deceased bodies were shortly discovered after firefighters started with firefighting and the rest of the deceased bodies were recovered as firefighters progressed with firefighting and during damping/cooling down operations and after the fire was extinguished,” the City of Tshwane revealed.
The victims of the blaze were males aged six, 18, 22, 24 and a 46-year-old woman.
Miraculously, the mother and toddler managed to escape with minor scratches on the forehead and smoke inhalation.
“She and the child were treated for smoke inhalation and transported to Pretoria West Hospital for further observation,” the statement read.
Pertinent to the investigation will be the cause of the fire. At this time, fire safety officers have not concluded their probe into the incident. It’s also believed police are involved in preliminary investigations into the fire to rule out any potential arson.
This is a developing story.