Housemother rushes into flames
2010-02-09 22:44
Newcastle – “The housemother tried to save us. I saw her entering a burning room to try to save everyone from the flames."
This was the explanation from a traumatised 11-year-old after she was found outside the gutted remains of the Hope in Christ safe haven near eNgogo between Newcastle and Volksrust, which was gutted by fire.
At least 15 people died in the blaze.
It would appear at this stage that 13 of the victims were children, of which nine were orphans.
Six children, among them a seven-day-old baby and four adults, managed to escape from the burning house and were admitted to hospital for treatment for smoke inhalation, said Bhekani Mswane, the acting head of the department of community services at the Newcastle municipality.
According to KwaZulu-Natal's MEC for welfare, Meshack Radebe, who sent senior officials to eNgogo, four residents of the orphanage were still missing on Tuesday afternoon.
Premier Dr Zweli Mhize expressed his shock and horror at the victims' horrific death.
Two of the victims were asphyxiated when they tried to reach the door of a storage room where they hoped to reach a window, said Mswane.
Remains
The other victims were burnt beyond recognition. Most were surprised by the flames while asleep in their beds.
Police said they were informed of the fire at the orphanage at 06:00 on Tuesday.
The orphanage's nearest neighbour was an elderly man who lives in a shack.
"There was not much that anyone could do to put out the flames," said Mswane.
The 58-year-old housemother ran Hope in Christ, which was accredited as a safe haven with the provincial welfare department, from her large home in the rural eNgogo area about 20km outside Newcastle.
According to Mswane, her next-of-kin still had to be informed of her death on Tuesday afternoon and her name could not yet be released.
After police arrived, Newcastle's fire department and other emergency services finally managed to put out the flames. The remains of the victims were discovered in the rubble.
A minibus and bakkie belonging to the orphanage and which were parked next to the building, were also gutted.
Radebe informed the provincial government's executive council that the cause of the fire was presumably a gas explosion or electrical fault.
According to Mswane, firefighters could find no obvious cause for the fire and police requested a forensic team from Pretoria to investigate.
Mswane said the 11-year-old said that the “housemother couldn't do anything."
Apart from the housemother, another adult woman and her four children were among the victims, said Mandla Ngema, spokesperson for the department of welfare.
The other victims were orphans between the ages of two and 15.