A 46-year-old woman has died while her husband and their dog escaped when their single-bed backroom dwelling in Môregloed, Pretoria, caught fire on Wednesday morning.
City of Tshwane emergency services spokesperson Thabo Charles Mabaso said the man and the dog escaped without any injuries.
He said the cause of the fire was being investigated.
He said the city's emergency services department was informed about the incident at 6.08am and dispatched two fire engines, two rapid-intervention units and an ambulance to the scene.
Mabaso said firefighters arrived at the scene to find the room engulfed by fire and immediately initiated firefighting.
“It is still unclear how the fire started, but the man claimed that his wife 'woke up and asked for a lighter and he gave her the lighter and went back to sleep only to wake up with the house on fire'. He apparently escaped using the back door with the dog and thought his wife was already outside,” said Mabaso.
He said the man was treated for shock and possible smoke inhalation by paramedics, but he refused transportation to a medical facility.
Police spokesperson Capt Mavela Masondo said the police have opened an inquest docket.
Masondo said the cause of the fire could not be confirmed.
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