A woman and her child burnt to death in a ripping shack fire at an informal settlement in Denver south of Johannesburg, on Saturday, the city emergency service.
Spokesman Percy Morokane said a man allegedly set his shack on fire after he had an argument with his wife just after midnight.
The wife and two children were inside. The body of the wife and one child burnt beyond recognition,” he said.
The second child was unaccounted for.
“Forensic investigators are at the scene to determined whether the child burnt or survived the fire.”
The man ran away after he had torched the shack.
Seventy shacks were destroyed and over a hundred people were displaced as result of the fire.
Morokane said the disaster management team would be at informal settlement to provide relief and assess the situation. – Sapa