Five people, including a three-year-old boy, died tragically in a fire in Crossroads on Monday evening.
Two other people managed to jump from the top floor of the double storey house before the flames reached them.
The blaze started shortly before 11pm.
One of the survivors who lived in the house, Itai Marwa, 39, says he jumped with his wife from a window and they were lucky that patrollers managed to break their fall.
“I could have died in the fire too,” the distressed man tells the Daily Voice.
SAVED: Itai Marwa, 39, escaped
He says he was in his room upstairs and only became aware of the fire when he saw the smoke.
“I was listening to music with headphones on, I did not hear anything, I just saw a big smoke coming from downstairs,” says Itai.
He said all the people who died in the fire were from his home country, Zimbabwe.
Gcinikhaya Nondubula was part of the patrolling team who saw the fire.
“When we went closer, we realised there were people trapped inside and asked them to jump so we can catch them,” he says.
“Itai first pushed his wife out and he followed.
“The fire was big and we could not assist others as it was dark.”
PATROL: Gcinikhaya Nondubula helped couple out burning huis
Shocked neighbours gathered near the house with many crying as they realised the inhabitants could not escape.
Itai said they were all renting the building and people had their own rooms.
It appears the couple with the child tried to escape but were overcome by smoke and flames in the garage.
“It is difficult to say what happened or how the fire started. The people who died are couples and one child,” he says.
“I am grateful to be alive at the moment. I do not know how I would have survived if the patrollers did not encourage us to jump.”
He said they have lost all their belongings: “The only clothes we have are our pyjamas.”
Forensics arrived just before 1pm on Tuesday and had to wait for Fire and Rescue to inspect the badly damaged building before taking the bodies out.
FIERY DEATH: Five burnt to death at a Crossroads house
Fire and Rescue spokesman Jermaine Carelse says the fire in Mbonise Street was extinguished by 1am.
“A search of the property led to the discovery of the bodies of a man, woman and a three-year-old boy in the garage and another two bodies of a man and woman in the bedroom on the ground floor,” he says.
Police spokesperson Captain FC Van Wyk says an inquest docket was opened and the cause of the fire is unknown at this stage.