Two four-year-old twins have died after a fire tore through a shack in the Zamimpilo informal settlement near Langlaagte, Johannesburg, on Tuesday.
The children were found by firefighters after emergency crews extinguished the blaze.
According to the city’s EMS spokesperson Robert Mulaudzi, firefighters rushed to the informal settlement after reports of a shack fire.
“After firefighting operations, firefighters recovered two bodies of four-year-old twins, who unfortunately succumbed to smoke inhalation, and they were confirmed dead by EMS paramedics on scene.”
The exact cause of the fire remains under investigation.
“At this stage, the cause of the fire incident is still a subject of investigation,” Mulaudzi added.
Cold weather warning after fatal fire
The tragedy comes as temperatures continue to plunge across Gauteng, with authorities warning residents about the dangers linked to unsafe heating methods.
Mulaudzi urged residents to use heating devices responsibly during the cold snap.
“As City of Johannesburg Emergency Management Services, we are pleading with our residents to continue to look after heating devices like heaters, braziers or imbawula and not leave them unattended, so that we can prevent fire incidents during these extremely cold temperatures,” he said.
The incident also follows renewed warnings from the Gauteng Department of Health over the rise in winter burn injuries and fire-related incidents.
Burn injuries surge during winter months
Gauteng Health and Wellness MEC Faith Mazibuko recently warned that burn-related incidents consistently increase during winter as households turn to paraffin stoves, candles, open fires and other makeshift heating sources to stay warm.
The department specifically warned residents against using braziers, commonly known as imbawula, inside poorly ventilated rooms.
“Imbawula should never be used inside poorly ventilated rooms or left unattended, as they pose a serious risk of burn injuries, carbon monoxide poisoning, and may even lead to death,” the department cautioned.
Statistics on burns
Statistics from one of Gauteng’s busiest specialised burns units revealed that 743 children were admitted with burn injuries during 2024 and 2025 combined.
The department said around 80% of those cases involved hot water burns, flame burns and electrical injuries.
Between January and April 2026 alone, the facility admitted 116 children for burn-related injuries.
“It remains a concern that the majority of admissions involve children,” the department said.
