By Mapaballo Borotho
- A 13-year-old child has died after a shack fire tore through the Plastic View informal settlement in Pretoria.
- The child’s parents and younger sibling were injured and taken to hospital for treatment.
- Authorities are investigating the cause of the blaze, although witnesses suspect a leaking gas cylinder may have sparked the fire.
A 13-year-old child has died following a devastating shack fire at the Plastic View informal settlement in Moreleta Park, Pretoria, on Thursday evening, 28 May 2026.
The tragedy comes just days after another fire destroyed approximately 150 shacks in the same poverty-stricken settlement.
Firefighters worked throughout the night to contain the blaze and prevent it from spreading to nearby structures. During search and recovery operations conducted after the fire had been extinguished, firefighters discovered the body of a 13-year-old child in the area where the fire is believed to have started.
The child was declared dead at the scene.
The parents of the deceased child, as well as a younger sibling, sustained burn injuries and were transported to a nearby medical facility for treatment.
According to witnesses, the fire may have been caused by a leaking gas cylinder in the shack where the child was found. However, the exact cause of the fire remains under investigation.
The latest tragedy comes only days after another major fire swept through the Plastic View informal settlement, destroying more than 150 shacks and leaving hundreds of residents displaced.
Shack fires are not a new phenomenon in South Africa’s informal settlements, particularly during the winter months when residents rely on candles, paraffin stoves, gas cylinders and other alternative heating sources to keep warm.
Every year, hundreds of people are killed or displaced by devastating fires that spread rapidly through densely populated settlements, leaving families homeless and communities traumatised.
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