Mom and baby killed in shack fire
GONE: Cayla Booysen, 10 months and Mom Amanda Booysen, 29
A mother and her 10-month-old baby died tragically in a shack fire in Happy Valley, Blackheath.
Amanda Booysen, 29, and her tiny daughter Cayla were sleeping in their Omo Street home when the fire started shortly after midnight.
It is believed the blaze started due to a lit candle as the family ran out of krag.
Landlord Lucrecia Visagiem said: “We tried our best to save them but we could not.
“There were no screams coming from their room and the neighbours tried to put out the fire but when we eventually did, they had already passed on.”
Lucrecia says there was no electricity when they went to sleep and she suspects a candle might have caused the fire.
“Our electricity had run out and maybe they left a candle burning. It is sad that they died this way and we could not save them.”
She says Amanda and the baby lived alone in the backyard hokkie.
City Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson Jermaine Carelse says they received an emergency call at 12.35am yesterday: “Fire crews from Kuils River and Mfuleni were immediately dispatched to the incident.
“Upon arrival, some community members were endeavouring to extinguish the blaze and informed the officer that there were people inside the structure.
“The fire was extinguished at 1.04am.
“The two bodies were found beside the bed and were burnt beyond recognition.
“It is believed to be an adult and a minor. The cause of the fire is unknown and the scene was handed over to the South African Police Service.”
Police spokesperson Sergeant Noloyiso Rwexana says a death inquest was opened for investigation.
She said: “Mfuleni police have opened a death inquest case after a fire that occurred this morning at about 12.15am at Omo Street, Happy Valley, Blackheath.
“According to reports, a woman aged 29 and a 10-month-old baby died in the fire. The cause of the fire is yet to be determined.”
In a separate incident, 20 people were left homeless in Nomzamo, Strand, after a fire that started around 2am destroyed their homes.
One person was injured in the fire, the cause of which is still under investigation.