A DEVASTATING shack fire has claimed the lives of two children at Naledi Square in Mangaung.
According to police, the incident occurred in the early hours of this Wednesday.
Officers dispatched to the scene following reports of a shack engulfed in flames found a distraught father who had lost two of his children in the fire.
The father told police that around 01:30 am, he was awakened by his children’s screams as flames spread from the shack’s kitchen near the exit door.
He was able to rescue his 10-year-old son, but when he tried to return for his other two children, the fire had intensified, preventing him from reaching them.
Tragically, a 14-year-old girl and her four-year-old brother perished in the blaze.
The identities of the deceased have been withheld to protect the family’s privacy.
Sonskyn police have opened an inquest docket to investigate the circumstances surrounding the fire. – Staff Reporter