A 28-year old mother and her six-month-old baby died in one of two fires that swept through the Helderberg in the early hours of Wednesday (26 August) morning, leaving 16 people displaced.

The infernos broke out in Nomzamo and Macassar within two hours, with crews responding to the second blaze just 15 minutes after containing the first.

The fatal fire started just before midnight on Tuesday 25 August at Wag ‘n Bietjie informal settlement off Richmond Street in Nomzamo.

Jermaine Carelse, spokesperson for the City of Cape Town’s Fire and Rescue Service, said crews from Strand, Sir Lowry’s Pass and Somerset West attended the blaze after a call at 23:45.

By 01:20 firefighters had extinguished the blaze, but not before six structures were destroyed and around 12 people were left homeless.

Western Cape police spokesperson Captain FC van Wyk confirmed Lwandle police have registered an inquest docket for investigation following the deaths of a 28-year-old woman and six-month-old baby.

“Members of the Fire and Rescue Service were called to the scene and managed to extinguish the fire. In the process, they found two bodies burnt beyond recognition, while the 58-year-old grandmother survived with burn injuries,” Van Wyk said.

Police have confirmed that the deceased were a mother and daughter pair. The cause of the Nomzamo fire is still unknown and police do not suspect foul play.

Within 15 minutes of containing the blaze in Nomzamo, the Fire and Rescue Service received another call about a house alight in Jolene Simons Road in New Macassar Village at 01:35.

“The first crew arrived on the scene at 01:40 and by 02:20 the fire was extinguished,” Carelse said.

The blaze destroyed one informal structure and partially damaged a formal dwelling, displacing four people. No injuries were reported.

The cause of the Macassar blaze is also unknown.