Fire kills one and leaves 55 homeless.
Emergency services descended on Second Street in Vrededorp on July 22 after a fire ripped through a property housing many families in shacks. According to Brixton Police Station’s Jeanette Backhoff, the fire did take the life of one while leaving 55 people without shelter and their belongings destroyed. Handling the blaze was made challenging due to strong winds on the night that was accompanying the cold front which had gripped Johannesburg. Emergency services were on the scene to extinguish the fire and attend to the medical needs of those living at the property. An inquest docket was also opened at the station and investigations into the matter are underway.
The City of Johannesburg’s Housing Department stated that preliminary investigations into the blaze have revealed that the fire was caused by an unattended paraffin stove. The department provided 22 of the people affected temporary accommodation at the Brixton Recreational Centre. Of the affected 55 individuals, only 22 have agreed to be moved, stated the City while the rest have found their own accommodation in the interim.
Several interventions from Disaster Management, The City’s Social Development department, organisations, political parties and Joburg residents have joined forces to donate food parcels, clothing, mattresses and blankets, among other items to the families left destitute.
