Three people die in Alexandra fire that destroyed almost 200 shacks
ALEXANDRA – The cause of the fire is unknown at this stage but an investigation is underway.
Residents of Alexandra were woken up by an uncontrollable blaze that torched about 200 shacks on Wednesday morning, 26 August.
Spokesperson for Johannesburg Emergency Management Services Robert Mulaudzi confirmed the incident, “During the early hours of Wednesday morning, we responded to multiple shacks on fire in Alexandra on 2nd Avenue. Three people lost their lives during the incident.”
He added that the cause of the fire is unknown at this stage but an investigation is underway.
Mulaudzi also encouraged residents to exercise caution, especially when heating devices are involved. Residents are urged to not leave heating devices unattended while in use to prevent fires.
“We also want to plead with our residents to make sure that they look after our emergency personnel when responding to incidents like this one so that we can continue rendering this very important essential service without any disruptions,” he added.
Mulaudzi explained that there have been previous instances where EMS personnel were attacked while on duty. “This kind of behaviour not only creates fear and panic amongst EMS personnel but also affects our response time in the sense that we now have to go through police stations to request that we are escorted,” he concluded.
Related article:
https://www.citizen.co.za/alex-news/175810/fire-victims-receive-assistance/
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