Tragic shack fire leads to arrest of couple for child neglect.
Image: File
A COUPLE from the Petsana informal settlement in the Free State has been arrested following a tragic shack fire that left their infant and toddler burned beyond recognition.
SAPS police spokesperson Warrant Officer Mmako Mophiring said the couple was arrested after a horrific incident in which a seven-month-old infant and an 18-month-old toddler died.
"They were left alone by their parents inside a shack on Saturday night."
On May 3, at approximately 11 pm, it is alleged that the parents left their two children—a male toddler and a female infant—alone in the shack while they went out drinking.
"While at the drinking venue, the couple was informed by a community member that their shack was on fire. They rushed back to the scene and found police and shocked community members already there. It was at that moment they realised the children had been left alone," Mophiring said.
The officer stated that the cause of the fire remains unknown.
The police have opened cases of inquest and child neglect for inquiry.
The pair has been charged with child maltreatment and appeared in Reitz Magistrate's Court on Monday and were not given bail.
Researchers have been sounding the alarm that cold weather brings a surge in burns, one of the most destructive forms of injury to the human body.
Ashley van Niekerk and fellow researchers from the Medical Research Council found that South Africa has a 'high rate of childhood burns' compared to global standards, with nearly 1,300 children dying from burn injuries each year, many of which are preventable.
"During winter, Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital experiences an increase in children admitted to the hospital with burn injuries,” said Angelique Jordaan, at the Medical Research Council.
“The use of candles, paraffin stoves and open fires increases, placing children at greater risk of burn injuries."
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