Authorities have discovered the body of a 33-year-old woman in the aftermath of the fire that devastated the Boardwalk Urban Village complex in Midrand on Tuesday night.
Story Summary:
- A woman’s body was discovered in the apartment where the Boardwalk Urban Village fire started.
- Neighbours reported hearing a fight between the woman and her partner days before the fire.
- Authorities are investigating the cause of the fire, with an inquest docket opened by police.
Boardwalk Village fire: Authorities working to identify dead body found in apartment
The woman’s body was found under a collapsed ceiling inside the apartment identified as the fire’s epicentre, according to Johannesburg Emergency Management Services (EMS) spokesperson Xolile Khumalo.
“The information indicates that the fire started in the same room where the body was found,” Khumalo stated.
Emergency services confirmed that the body was not burned, allowing the family to identify the victim.
While the cause of the fire has not yet been determined, inspectors continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding the blaze.
EMS responded to the scene and extinguished the fire, initially reporting no fatalities.
However, as the scene was cleared, unconfirmed reports of a missing person emerged, prompting a renewed search that ultimately led to the discovery of the woman’s body.
“We are still waiting for the preliminary results on the cause of death,” Khumalo said.
Was there a fight before the fire started?
Reports have surfaced indicating that a fight occurred in the apartment days before the fire.
According to SowetanLive, neighbour Tebogo Seloane recalled hearing a heated argument between the woman and her partner last Wednesday.
“There was an exchange of words, and it seemed as if she was accusing the man of cheating,” Seloane said, adding that the argument lasted several hours.
Seloane mentioned that he last saw the woman alive on Thursday, while he saw the man on Friday.
Over the weekend and up until Tuesday, neither of them was seen until news broke of the woman’s death.
Another resident confirmed hearing the argument, stating, “Yoh, that fight was bad, everyone could hear them screaming.”
The details surrounding the woman’s death remain under investigation, and questions linger about whether she was already deceased before the fire started.
Authorities may look for clues, such as smoke residue in her lungs, to determine whether she was alive when the fire began.
Police spokesperson Col Mavela Masondo confirmed that an inquest docket has been opened, and authorities are awaiting the results of a full report from firefighters and forensic experts.
“We registered an inquest to investigate after the body was found,” Masondo said.
As the investigation continues, many questions remain about what transpired in the apartment before the blaze erupted.
While authorities work to determine the exact cause of the fire and the woman’s death, residents of the Boardwalk Urban Village complex are left grappling with the tragedy that unfolded so suddenly.
