According to a spokesperson for the Ekurhuleni Emergency Services, William Ntladi, three firefighters were rushed to different local hospitals, after they suffered physical attacks, while trying to get on with their jobs.
It appears members of the community vented their anger on the crew members after accusing Emergency Services of taking too long to respond to the crisis.
The attack involved pushing, kicking, punching, stone-throwing and verbal abuse.
The fire in the informal settlement broke out at around 11am, on Saturday night, September 13.
Firefighters from different local stations responded to the call about the shack fire in the settlement.
Unfortunately, the terrible roads and shacks built close together prevented the fire engines with bigger tanks from accessing the scene.
“The crew then decided to send in a smaller fire engine with two members on board,” says Ntladi.
“Meanwhile, the bigger ones were parked a few metres away from the blaze, and the crew had to run their hoses from a distance.
“The pair in the small fire engine arrived at the scene, and when beginning to fight the flame, a group of abusive and aggressive residents started yelling insults at them,” explains Ntladi.
“While trying to get on with their jobs, one of the firefighters was assaulted when they threw an unknown liquid into his face, causing him to loose consciousness. They then grabbed his colleague – a woman – and pushed her head in a pit toilet.”
Ntladi says her loud screaming alerted her colleagues who were at the time still connecting their hoses from the bigger fire engines.
They rushed to the scene and managed to rescue their colleagues.
However, the residents continued to yell insults at the team, pounced on another crew member, and also pushed his head in a pit toilet in an attempt to drown him.
Despite the horror of that night, the fire crew continued to battle the flames which destroyed about 15 shacks and left dozens of people homeless.
“Our members managed to bring it under control and prevented it from spreading to the nearby shacks,” says Ntladi.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
Ward Clr Hillary Coke condemned the attack on the firefighters and appealed to residents to refrain from targeting the people who risk their lives to serve others.
In reaction to the accusation that the Emergency Services took too long to arrive, Ntladi says fire-fighters arrived within minutes after the incident was reported.
Ntladi confirmed that a criminal case was registered at the Boksburg North SAPS, and the attack is being investigated.
“The department takes assaults against its staff very seriously, and would always seek to take action against those who had intentionally attacked our staff.
“Such behaviour is unacceptable. Emergency Services personnel have to be able to help the communities without fear of being attacked.”
* In the first version of this article that appeared online (now removed), it was incorrectly reported that an ambulance was severely damaged in the incident. The Advertiser at first understood that paramedics responded to a call to help a patient in the informal settlement and then came under attack. – @FanieBoksburg
