Pregnant woman dies in Kenville Informal Settlement fire

A woman who was eight months pregnant tragically died after a massive fire destroyed several homes at the Kenville Informal Settlement in KZN, in the early hours of yesterday morning.

According to the chairperson of the settlement, Mandla Dunn, the fire destroyed 237 informal dwellings, leaving more than 400 people homeless.

The cause of the fire, which broke out after midnight, is yet to be determined.

The eThekwini Municipality has already placed marquees up for displaced residents on Crow Place (Kenville) as a temporary relief effort.

“As a community, we are heartbroken for the young lady who passed away and for all the residents who lost everything. We are not sure what caused the fire, but it spread quickly. Due to there being no water at night, residents only had buckets of water to try and put out the fire before the firefighters arrived. This has been a massive disaster. We are grateful for the support from the community, and the municipality has been providing food, blankets and clothes,” he said.

The pregnant mother, who was in her 20s, succumbed to her injuries when emergency services responded.

According to estimates by the eThekwini Municipality, more than 200 shacks were destroyed by the blaze.

The municipality yesterday began co-ordinating temporary relief efforts for displaced residents.

In a statement, the municipality said fire and emergency services responded to a fire that occurred at about 00:30.

“A team of 30 firefighters were dispatched to the scene with eight fire engines. The firefighters worked tirelessly until the fire was successfully extinguished. The estimated number of gutted informal units is more than 200, and those who suffered minor injuries were treated by medical personnel on-site,” a statement read.

Anil Beekrum, the chairperson for Kenville and Sea Cow Lake Residents’ and Ratepayers’ Association, said he feels the municipality needs to do more in providing housing for displaced residents.

“Unfortunately, with the intermittent water supply and to allow the reservoirs to fill, water pressure drops drastically at night to a point where there is no water. Residents of the settlement weren’t able to use any water to fight the fire, and some used buckets of water which is all they had. We, as the residents’ and ratepayers’ association, also feel the City should be providing housing for the people. The shacks are all close together which meant the fire spread quicker. We feel so sorry for the residents who lost everything in this fire as this isn’t the first time this settlement has been affected,” he said.

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