Midrand Fire Tragedy: Sibling Discovers Victim Under Debris After Ceiling Collapses

• Onalenna Tsae lost her life in the Midrand residential fire on Tuesday night, 24 September
• An autopsy report will show the cause of death, she's believed to have suffocated from smoke inhalation after the ceiling collapsed on her
• The 33-year-old woman was an avid boxer and had plans to go to Limpopo for a boxing tournament on the day her body was found

MIDRAND- Onalenna Tsae was found dead by her sister, Matlhogonolo, under a collapsed ceiling in her apartment after firefighters had put out the fire.

Background to the fire

Residents were evacuated when a fire broke out on the second floor, rapidly spreading throughout the building on Tuesday evening, 25 September 2024.

The Urban Village residential complex, situated close to Boardwalk Street in Midrand, Gauteng, was the latest site of such an incident. Gauteng has seen a string of fires recently, including the Auckland Park Country Club blaze and two separate fires in Johannesburg's CBD in recent months.

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Her sister's account of the tragedy

Older sister Matlhogonolo Tsae had pleaded with Johannesburg Emergency Management Services (EMS) to be allowed to search for her sister in the building after the fire had been extinguished.

Matlhogonolo walked towards the flat, hoping that her sister would be somewhere other than in the apartment building and safe. However, her dead body was found in her apartment under debris from the collapsed ceiling near the door.

There had been suggestions that the fire was started in the flat of Onalenna, a claim that her sisters refute and call nonsense and that it send the wrong message.

"I’m not an expert, but I don’t believe the fire started in her room. If it had, it could have killed her but she was not burnt to ashes, she was recognisable," said Matlhogonolo Tsae to Sowetan Live.

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The claims mentioned that Onalenna and her partner were heard arguing days before the fire. Her sister has said the boyfriend is struggling to come to terms with her death and is finding it difficult.

Mzanzi responds to her death

South Africans had initially thought that the fire hadn't claimed any lives, but news of a death was reported late morning on Wednesday, 25 September.

@Liihlendimande seeks the truth:

"This is sad. I wonder what truly happened to her. And what's going to happen to the residents who lost everything 😩"

@asap_drek hopes the cause of the fire is identified:

"I hope the fire department can say what started the fire because this could be a murder covered up."

@KingDon_za wonders about the loss of possessions:

"Does the owner pay everyone for their losses and claims insurance?"

@SibekoNtom39797 questions the fire safety standards of the building:

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"💔 In a multi-housing like that, were there no hose pipe reels or fire extinguishers available on each floor or in the apartments? If there were, were they up to date? I also wonder what the indemnity clause states and what the bylaws say regarding the complex's safety compliance."

Auckland Park Country Club Fire: Videos and Images

Briefly News spoke in a related article about a Johannesburg landmark that caught fire, prompting staff to evacuate as thick clouds of grey smoke billowed from the building.

The Auckland Country Club, a heritage site established in 1906, is renowned for its top-tier golf facility, which boasts two courses. The media has not reported injuries or fatalities, and officials are still probing the cause of the blaze.

Source: Briefly News