Probe underway on fatal Kennedy Road fire
An investigation is underway into the cause of
a deadly fire that ripped through Durban's Kennedy Road Informal Settlement.
25-year-old Nonhle Mbango and her 19-month-oldbaby Bandile Zulu lost their lives when the blaze broke out on Saturday midnight.
At least 150 people have been left homeless.
eThekwini Fire said preliminary findingssuggest the blaze may have started when a stove was left unattended.
Division Commander Sifiso Mtshali said they have since ruled out a suspected electrical fault.
"We can only right now speak to what we suspect based off the observations that we found on arrival.
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"They're not using candles inside to those houses, and that there was no gas or any other form of ignition that we could detect," said Mtshali.
KwaZulu-Natal COGTA MEC, Thulasizwe Buthelezi, has urged communities to take extra care when handling open flames or makeshift stoves like izimbawula and heaters.
Buthelezi and officials from Human Settlements are expected to visit the area on Monday, to offer support to the affected families.
Meanwhile Human Settlements MEC Siboniso Duma said various teams are already on the ground, working to speed up the delivery of building material.
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