A fire ripped through a shack settlement in South Africa’s Ekurhuleni Municipality, over the weekend, claiming the lives of eight people, including a two-year-old child, authorities said on Monday.

The City of Ekurhuleni Disaster and Emergency Management Services spokesperson, Maswazi Mdluli, confirmed the fatalities and stated that the cause of the fire, which took place before sunrise on Monday, is currently under investigation.

"At around 3 am this morning, our firefighters responded to a fire incident at Arla Park Ext 3, Nigel," Mdluli recounted.

"On their arrival, they found a 3+1 roomed shack house fully engulfed in flames, with the community assisting in extinguishing the fire. After the flames were put out, firefighters began search and recovery efforts as there were concerns that there may be casualties trapped inside. The two deceased individuals were pronounced dead at the scene by Gauteng medical services."

Multiple incidents

Authorities reported that an eight-year-old child escaped the inferno with minor burns and is currently receiving medical treatment.

The tragic event follows a series of recent fire incidents in shack settlements across the municipality.

Emergency services last Thursday reported a separate fire where six children from the same family, aged between 4 and 14 years, lost their lives in their homes.

Residents have expressed outrage alleging slow response by the City’s emergency services during multiple fatal fire incidents, state broadcaster SABC reports.

The City of Johannesburg Emergency Management Services (EMS) have issued a plea for caution.

"In the past 3 days EMS has responded to 3 major fire incidents," read their statement. "Due to the current cold front, EMS is urging all residents, especially those living in informal residents or high-density housing, to exercise extreme caution when using heating devices."