The fire that burnt several shacks in Khayelitsha, Cape Town on Saturday 07 January has left a firefighter injured. For elderly women were treated for smoke inhalation at the scene.
The fire left 50 shacks destroyed and 160 people homeless. Fire and Rescue spokesman Jermaine Carelse said there were no fatalities from the fire but one firefighter was injured.
“Four elderly women suffered from smoke inhalation and were treated by Metro EMS. One firefighter sustained 2nd degree burn wounds to his right hand. The cause is still unknown and no fatalities were reported,” said Carelse.
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Community leader Nkulelko Mantyi said lots of people lost their belongings. He suspects the fire after load shedding. “We had load shedding between 12 am and 2 am. It is after when electricity came back when shacks when up in the fire,” he said.
Some owners of the shacks were in Eastern Cape when the shacks caught fire. Nombeko Msimang said she arrived at a hip of ashes. “My phone ran out of battery. Nobody told me that there was a shack fire. I was shocked to arrive at a hip of burnt zinc sheets and ashes,” she said.
Gift of the Givers and other organisations were at the scene assisting residents with food and clothes.