Man burns to death during loadshedding
Sharon Mathala | Tuesday June 23, 2015 15:34
“According to the information we have, the deceased had lit a candle after power cuts hit his home. We are still not sure what happened next, but his room then caught fire. The incident took place between 1am and 3: 45am,” police station commander, Superintendent, Lebalang Maniki said.
While confirming that the house caught fire in the early hours of Friday, Superintendent Maniki on Monday said that at this early stage, the police were still investigating the matter.
But he further confirmed that the man died on the spot and was burnt beyond recognition. Mmegi team visited the distraught family of the deceased at the house where the incident took place.
When the Mmegi team arrived at the scene, they were told: “This is a family matter. It is still very sensitive and we are still grieving. We do not want to talk to the media.”
Mmegi has also learnt that in another similar incident and still in Tlokweng, an 85-year-old woman died after her room also caught fire. According to the police, the woman had lit a kerosene lamp, which caused the fire. This incident happened on June 12.
Maniki further advised members of the public to exercise extra caution when handling candles and kerosene lamps. He said that they should be kept in safe places at all times.