Five family members die in Etwatwa shack fire, teenager survives. Image credit: SABC
(The Post News) – Five members of the same family, including three young children, were killed when a shack caught fire at the Steve Biko informal settlement in Etwatwa, Ekurhuleni, late on Sunday, 09 November 2025.
City of Ekurhuleni’s Disaster and Emergency Management Services (DEMS) reported that firefighters received a distress call at 11:48pm stating that a shack was engulfed in flames.
DEMS spokesperson William Ntladi said personnels from the Etwatwa Fire Station responded immediately with the assistance from the Springs Central Fire Station. “On arrival, firefighters found a five-room shack consisting of three bedrooms, a kitchen and a dining room fully engulfed in flames, with people trapped inside,” said Ntladi.
According to reports, firefighters launched an aggressive attack on the blaze, using two hose lines from opposite directions to suppress the fire. “Once the flames were brought under control, a search and recovery operation began. Tragically, five bodies, believed to be a father, mother, and their three children, were discovered among the charred remains of the structure,” paramedics said.
They added that a teenage boy, who was sleeping in an outside room a few metres away, managed to escape unharmed. The cause of the fire has not yet been determined and is under investigation by fire safety officers and the South African Police Service.
“The scene has been handed over to the police for further investigation and for removal of the deceased to a pathology facility,” Ntladi added.
Authorities have urged residents in informal settlements to exercise extreme caution with heating and lighting sources, especially as cooler weather persists.
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