A 76-year-old man has died in a fire that gutted his Rondebosch East home.
Firefighters from Wynberg, Lakeside and Ottery responded to the call at 4.40am on Thursday March 30 and were told that one person was still inside the burning Second Avenue home, according to City Fire and Rescue Service spokesman Jermaine Carelse.
The man’s body was found in the home at about 5.20am, and the fire was extinguished at about 6.30am. According to Mr Carelse, he died of smoke inhalation.
“The building sustained significant damage, and a building inspector was requested to ascertain the structural integrity.”
Athlone police spokeswoman Sergeant Zita Norman said a gas-stove explosion outside of the house had caused the fire.
“Police are doing further investigations to determine what caused the gas stove to explode,” she said.
The Daily Voice named the dead man as Alex Petersen and quoted a neighbour who said Mr Petersen had lived alone.