Lucky escape for house occupants as Joburg arsonist strikes again

An arsonist broke into a home in Melrose, Johannesburg, and set the kitchen on fire in the early hours of Thursday.

Extensive damage was caused to the home but the homeowner and a live-in staff member managed to escape without injury, said CAP Security, which responded to the fire.

The break-in occurred at about 4am.

“Once inside, the suspect set the kitchen alight. The homeowner woke up to loud banging and smelt smoke, which resulted in him exiting the property and pressing his panic button which alerted CAP,” it said.

Emergency fire services were dispatched to the scene along with multiple CAP teams and the fire was extinguished, but it had already spread through the house before being doused.

“CAP teams have mobilised at the scene and remain in the vicinity. A full investigation is under way with teams currently working hard utilising all data sources and resources to locate the suspect.”

It said preliminary reports indicate the suspect is the same person involved in previous arson attacks.

“We have expended thousands of hours to find this suspect and will continue to work tirelessly to track and apprehend him.”

TimesLIVE

Support independent journalism by subscribing to the Sunday Times. Just R20 for the first month.