Two women died and one was seriously injured when a fire broke out in a building housing the offices of a security company in Durban on Thursday.
ER24 spokesperson Neil Noble said three people were injured in the blaze that swept through the top floor of the one-storey building.
The owner of Q Security, 49-year old Aroon Chunder, was critically injured, suffering from inhalation burns and taken to Durban’s Entabeni hospital.
Witnesses said a bystander managed to get a ladder and pull Chunder through a narrow window to safety.
Umbilo Road, one the main roads leading into the city centre, was closed off for several hours as curious onlookers watched rescue workers in action.
The two women who were trapped in an office in the building were burnt beyond recognition.
A woman and her one week old baby were taken to Addington Hospital to be treated for minor injuries and shock.
The cause of the fire, which broke out shortly after 9am, was not immediately known.
Police spokesperson Inspector Michael Read could not immediately be reached for comment. — Sapa