Braziers used for heating are being blamed for the deaths of three people burnt to death and another two suffocated in shacks in Ivory Park, on the North Rand, this weekend.
Police spokesperson Superintendent Eugene Opperman said Agentina Mathebula (44) and her sons, Daniel (21) and two-year-old Velly, burnt to death when their shack caught fire on Saturday night.
Preliminary police investigations suggested the fire was caused by a brazier in the shack, said Opperman.
Earlier on Saturday, police found the bodies of Gavaba Ngobeni (25) and Ernest Domingo (29) in a room where a brazier was smouldering.
It is suspected the men died after inhaling toxic fumes from the coals in the brazier.
”Whether there is good ventilation or not, it is plainly dangerous to use braziers in shacks or rooms,” Opperman said, appealing to people to avoid using them. — Sapa