POTCHEFSTROOM – Police in Ikageng are investigating an inquest docket following a tragic shack fire that claimed the lives of five children — three girls and two boys — in the Sonderwater Informal Settlement. North West police spokesperson Colonel Adéle Myburgh said officers responded to a report of a shack fire on Sunday evening, just before midnight.

“Upon arrival, officers discovered that the shack had been completely destroyed by fire and the bodies of five children were found inside the structure. The exact cause of the fire has not yet been established,” said Myburgh. She said police, together with relevant role players, will continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding the incident.

Myburgh said that due to access challenges within the informal settlement, firefighting efforts to rescue the victims were severely hampered. She added that Emergency Medical Rescue Services, who also attended the scene, certified all five children dead. The victims are between the ages of 1 and 9.

“Preliminary information indicates that the children’s mothers, who are sisters, allegedly left them alone to visit a nearby location. They were alerted by community members that the shack was on fire. They rushed back to the scene and, together with members of the community, attempted to extinguish the flames using buckets of water,” said Myburgh.

She said three children, aged 1, 7, and 9, belonged to one sister, while the other two, aged 1 and 8, belonged to the second sister. Myburgh said this was the second incident in which minor children died in a devastating shack fire this month. “The first incident was on 6 July in the Hashtag informal settlement in Ikageng. The charred remains of four-month-old twin boys were discovered among the debris. Police once again urged residents to take extra precautions to reduce the risk of house fires,” said Myburgh, adding calling on parents to not leave children alone under any conditions.