Walvis Bay — An elderly woman was burnt beyond recognition and six people were injured after jumping from a double-storey building that caught fire on Tuesday night in Walvis Bay. The Walvis Bay fire brigade battled for three hours to put out the blaze.

The building is a block of flats adjacent to a fuel service station and fire fighters had to contain the fire to prevent a major disaster had the fire spread to the fuel pumps.

According to eyewitnesses the elderly woman was trapped in her flat when the fire broke out in her flat. The cause of the fire is still unknown. The deceased was identified as the wife of an employee at the service station.

The owner of the fuel service station, Wynand Swart, was among those injured in the fire. They were admitted to hospital in Walvis Bay and their condition is said to be stable.

According to Wynand's son, Jac Swart, the fire started around 23h15 in the flat of the deceased. "The fire brigade arrived but it was a struggle to contain the fire so that it did not spread to the petrol pumps to prevent a major disaster," Swart told New Era.

Swart estimated the total damage to be around N$1.2 million. "Hopefully in a few months this will all be a bad memory," he said.