MORE than 200 people have been left homeless after a huge fire tore through the Parkington Grove Informal Settlement in Greenwood Park earlier today.
Firemen from the eThekweni Fire Department spent several hours attempting to douse the flames, but were initially fighting a losing battle as the strong winds fueled the menacing flames.
Behind the scene residents of the settlement scrambled to save their possessions, while other emergency services desperately tried to evacuate the people to a safer location.
Some resident from outside the chaos reported that they were able to spot the flames and billowing dark smoke from Church Road.
Fire fighters only managed to douse the flames at 1.30pm. At that time only a few informal dwellings were still burning, and the majority of the homes had burnt to the ground.
“There is still a thick cloud of smoke in the area as hot spots continue to smolder, with only twisted metal sheeting and piles of ash showing where the dwellings were,” said Mckenzie.
The cause of the blaze is still unknown at this stage.
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