/ 9 June 2004

Jo’burg fire injures five

Five people were injured in a fire on the second floor of a building in central Johannesburg on Wednesday afternoon, emergency services said.

One person broke his leg and four others were treated for minor cuts.

Johannesburg emergency services spokesperson Malcolm Midgely said the fire broke out on the second floor of the building at the corner of Twist and Wolmarans streets, causing residents to run frantically for safety.

Midgely said a total of 64 children, who were taken to the roof of the building when the fire started, escaped unhurt.

The children attend a day-care centre on the eighth floor of the building. An officer from the emergency services department kept an eye on them during the fire, Midgely said.

Residents panicked when the fire began, with some running through broken glass, others trying to jump through windows and one breaking a leg while jumping out of the building.

The fire was later put out. It was still unclear what caused it. — Sapa