Cape Town family devastated by fire: Father and son in critical condition
Mark and his wife Setho, who were injured in a fire in their rental home, believed to have been caused by a chimney explosion.
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A Cape Town family is reeling from a devastating fire that engulfed their rental home this week, resulting in severe burns for their eight-year-old son and critical injuries for his father, who is now hospitalised.
The blaze, thought to have been caused by a chimney explosion, consumed their home in mere minutes, leaving the family with nothing but heartbreak and nowhere to go.
Eight-year-old Keglu sustained severe burns to his face and legs and is being treated at Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital, which this year marks 70 years of providing specialist paediatric care for children in South Africa.
His father, 55-year-old Mark, remains in intensive care at Tygerberg Hospital, where doctors have given him a 20% chance of survival. Mark’s wife, Setho, was also injured in the fire.
Family members have said that the past few days have been defined by shock, hospital corridors, and uncertainty.
“Watching someone you love lying in a hospital bed, covered in burns, struggling to survive, is something I cannot even begin to explain properly in words,” said relative Chanel Kleynhans.
She said the sight of a child undergoing treatment in a specialist burn unit has been particularly difficult for the family.
The fire destroyed the family’s possessions entirely. Furniture, clothing, documents, and belongings were all lost. Now, "their house has been destroyed, their furniture is gone, and their clothes are gone,” Kleynhans said.
Mark, Keglu's father, has been the family’s main provider. Relatives fear that even if he survives, recovery could take a prolonged period, leaving the household in financial uncertainty.
Kleynhans said she "feels the trauma in the burn wards, the pain, the fear and uncertainty", and how “no child should ever have to go through something so traumatic".
The family has launched a fundraising campaign via BackaBuddy to assist with medical costs, necessities, and longer-term recovery.
The family appeals to the public to share their story in the hope of receiving community support during what they describe as the darkest time of their lives.