Fire at South African orphanage kills 13 children, 2 adults, official says

Fire at South African orphanage kills 13 children

JOHANNESBURG — A South African official says 13 children are dead after a fire tore through an orphanage early Tuesday.

Mandla Ngema, spokesman for the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Social Development, said police don’t know yet what sparked the blaze. Fire investigators from Pretoria are searching for clues, he said.

He said a total of 15 people were killed, including the person in charge of the Hope of Christ Home in KwaZulu-Natal province.

Hope of Christ is a non-governmental organization registered under South Africa’s Department of Social Development.