Hundreds of people were left homeless this Easter weekend after a devastating fire broke out in Covid-19 informal settlement in Mfuleni. The fire started in the early hours of Sunday 31 March leaving approximately four hundred shacks destroyed.
Two people who are believed to be a man and his girlfriend died in the fire. Their charred bodies were found in the debris after the fire.
According to the residents, the fire started at around 1 am. They tried to extinguish it, but the fire was uncontrollable due to heavy winds. Residents said the fire was worsened by gas stoves as there were gas stoves exploding. “We did not even get a chance to take our things out, everyone was running for their lives,” another resident told Ezitshisayo.
Meanwhile about 36 shacks were destroyed by fire in Langa leaving 123 people displaced. The cause of both fires is still unknown and South African Police Services are still investigating.
The Informal Settlements Management Department and the National Human Settlements Department are engaging the affected communities to discuss plans for rebuilding.
Charlotte Powell, the City of Cape Town’s spokesperson for Disaster Risk Management says they are working with the councilor from the area looking for halls to accommodate those affected.
City of Cape Town’s Fire & Rescue spokesperson Jermaine Carelse says two adults, a male and a female were declared dead by medics after sustaining fatal burn wounds. One person sustained serious injuries and was treated and transported to hospital, while another person was treated for a laceration to his arm.
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