Pastor and His Family Die in House Fire in Eastern Cape, SA Reacts: “They Must Have Been Terrified”

• A pastor from the Methodist Church and his four family members have died in a house fire in the Eastern Cape
• The sole survivor is a 28-year-old woman who is believed to be a domestic worker, and she was taken to the hospital
• The police are looking into what started the fire which killed the pastor and his whole family as the cause is currently unknown

EASTERN CAPE - A Methodist missionary house in Askeaton caught fire on Thurday evening, and five people died trapped inside.

The deceased was a pastor Mandisi Mphithi and his wife, Dunyiswa Mphiti, aged 46 and 29. Their three children, two boys and a girl aged 5 and 3, with the youngest being 11 months, reported News 24.

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The Police Spokesperson, Brigadier Tembinkosi Kinana, said that a community member noticed that the house was ablaze and called the police.

According to IOL, upon the police's arrival, the house was still not fire, and the family members were trapped inside. The fire was extinguished by the firefighters, but the family could not be rescued.

“Only one person, believed to be a domestic worker aged 28 was rescued. She was rushed to a nearby hospital for medical care.”

Kinana said an inquest docket was been opened to investigate the circumstances that caused the fire and led to the family's death.

South Africans were deeply moved by this tragic event and shared some comments:

Rose Sehlapelo mentioned:

"Oh my God, they must have been terrified."

Ngxolashe Tertia posted:

"Terribly sad. Rest in peace. Condolences to the extended family and friends they left behind."

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Christine Alberts van Zyl wrote:

"RIP to the family. Our hearts are sore. As a church we mourn your deaths. We pray that God will comfort your families in this sad time."

Maria Filomena Seabra Brizido commented:

"So sad indeed, what a tragedy. RIP"

Judy OJ Mpetsheni said:

"Heartfelt condolences to their families and congregants. May the souls of those who perished in this tragic incident rest in eternal peace until that glorious morning."

Loadshedding allegedly sparks a fire, Eastern Cape family loses everything in blaze

In related stories, Briefly News reported that a family was left homeless with just the clothes on their back after their home was destroyed allegedly by an electrical explosion. Fortunately, no one was injured during the blaze.

The fire allegedly ignited due to a power surge when electricity returned after loadshedding on Friday, 9 September. Neighbours of the Dlisani family attempted to put out the fire with buckets of water, but their attempts went in vain.

Source: Briefly News