A woman and a small child were killed by a fire at a block of flats in Joubert Park in central Johannesburg on Monday, paramedics said.
Netcare 911 spokesperson Nick Dollman said the victims were an adult woman and a baby boy of about two years old. Firefighters found the pair in the corner of a room and carried them outside where they were put on emergency life support.
”They were intubated and manually ventilated, but despite the efforts of the paramedics and doctor to resuscitate the victims, they both suffered from severe smoke inhalation and they died at the scene,” said Dollman.
Seven people, two of whom had serious injuries, were treated for smoke inhalation and taken to hospital.
The fire was on the top floor of the six-storey Frank and Hirsh building at the corner of Bree and End streets.
The paramedics responded to the report at about 1.30pm.
”A large crowd gathered at the scene and other residents alleged that this was the third fire in the building in recent time,” said Dollman.
Roads around the building were closed for several hours. — Sapa