Somerset West police have opened an inquest docket after a fatal house fire this morning (Wednesday 16 April).
Spokesperson Sergeant Suzan Jantjies confirmed that police officers responded to the blaze at a residence in the Briza residential area at 03:40.
“Upon their arrival, firefighters were already on scene, where the body of a man – yet to be formally identified – was discovered among debris,” said Jantjies.
According to Jermaine Carelse, spokesperson for the City of Cape Town’s Fire and Rescue Service, an emergency call of a house alight in Louis Trichardt Street was received around 02:15. Several firefighting crews, assisted by an incident management team (IMT), responded to the incident and managed to extinguish the blaze around 05:00.
“The house sustained substantial damage. During a search of the property, the body of a man was found in the bedroom, where he had succumbed to fatal burn wounds. At the time of the fire, the deceased was alone in the dwelling,” said Carelse.
He added that the cause of the fire remains undetermined at this stage and forms part of the police investigation.
Jantjies confirmed that an inquest docket has been opened for further investigation into the incident and circumstances surrounding the blaze.
While the deceased is yet to be formally identified following an post mortem, the fire victim is believed to be the homeowner and a local businessman.
DistrictMail & Helderberg Gazette visited the scene after 09:00 as curious onlookers made their way past the scene to catch a glimpse of the aftermath and gain insight into what had happened.
A neighbour recalled to police hearing loud bangs during the early hours of the morning and upon investigating saw huge flames from outside his balcony. “At that stage, the house was already up in flames and a large contingent of neighbours gathered outside the property before firefighters and authorities arrived on scene,” he stated.
Further details will be reported on as soon as it becomes available.
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