Baby, 8 months, dies in shack fire

THE overwhelming smell of smoke and a sombre mood hung heavy in the air after an eightmonth-old baby was killed in a fire in Woodstock.

The baby, identified as Riefka, died alone when the shack caught fire just before 1am yesterday.

The City’s Fire and Rescue spokesperson, Theo Layne, said the cause of the fire was unknown.

“At about 1.55am the City’s Fire and Rescue Services responded to Pine Road in Woodstock where one wendy house was destroyed by a fire. (The fire) left one female infant with fatal burns. The case was handed to police for further investigation,” Layne said.

Police spokesperson Andre Traut said an inquest docket had been opened for investigation.

Residents of the informal settlement sat in disbelief, trying to deal with death.

A neighbour and caretaker of the infant, Viola Booysen, was emotional as she recalled how residents tried in vain to stop the fire.

“We were woken by screams at just after midnight. We have no idea how the fire started, but so far what I heard is that a candle was still alight in the shack and wasn’t in a candle holder.

“I do not know where the mother was at that time when the fire started.

“When I heard the screams, I just jumped up and ran to help. We had difficulty trying to access the shack,” she said.

The baby’s mother, only known as Waseema, was seen walking around aimlessly after returning from the mortuary yesterday. She would not talk to the media.

Neighbour Maria Fredericks, whose shack also burnt down, said she had lost everything.

“Just two weeks ago, I also burnt my head when a candle was left burning in the shack. During 2013, my husband died in a shack fire in this informal settlement as well,” she said.