Toddler, woman killed in Walvis Bay shack fire

Two people, including a toddler, died in a shack fire that broke out in the early hours of Tuesday morning in Kuisebmond, Walvis Bay.

According to the police, the fire started around 03:00 in Kilimanjaro Street. Neighbours were reportedly awakened by screams coming from a nearby shack. When they rushed outside to investigate, they found the structure engulfed in flames.

Community members tried to break through the hardboard walls to rescue the occupants, but the fire spread rapidly to neighbouring shacks, making rescue efforts impossible.

The Walvis Bay Fire Brigade was summoned to the scene and managed to extinguish the blaze.

Police confirmed that six shacks were destroyed in the fire, affecting a total of 14 people.

Two occupants of the shack where the fire is believed to have started succumbed to their injuries. They have been identified as Beauty Guidao-Oas (20) and Gloria Guibes (two years and five months).

Next of kin have been informed, and police investigations into the cause of the fire are ongoing.

-Leandrea Mouers