The five-storey Osindiso building on the corners of Albert and Delvers streets in Marshalltown, Johannesburg, caught alight on Thursday morning. Picture: Nigel Sibanda
NGO Gift of the Givers has come to the aid of firefighters who have embarked on a search and recovery operation in a Johannesburg CBD building gutted by fire.
At least 64 people, including a one-year-old child, have died in the devastating fire in the early hours of Thursday morning.
Over 50 other people have been injured, with the number likely to increase.
Gift of the Givers founder Dr Imtiaz Sooliman said team members received calls early on Thursday morning for assistance.
“We received a call from Gauteng EMS and COJ EMS Fire Services to assist firefighters with rehydration and energy enriched foods to sustain them in fighting the fire in Johannesburg where one of the inner-city buildings caught fire around 01h30.
“Gift of the Givers will support the firefighters with a range of refreshments and energy foods and will work in association with the City of Johannesburg to see how best to assist the victims once the fire is under control and alternative accommodation has been sourced,” said Sooliman.
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Johannesburg Emergency Management Services spokesperson Robert Mulaudzi said the fire gutted the building on the corners of Albert and Delvers streets in the Joburg CBD.
Mulaudzi said the death toll may increase because there was an informal settlement inside the building, which may have resulted in people being trapped while trying to flee.
“Every floor has an informal settlement, and those that were trying to evacuate were trapped because of the structures between the floors,” he said.
Gauteng Health head of communications Motalatale Modiba said MEC Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko will visit patients at Helen Joseph Hospital following the tragic incident.
“The MEC has sent a message of condolences to families who have lost loved ones and wishes those that are currently in hospital a speedy recovery,” Modiba said.
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