About 40 families, numbering about 100 people, in Alexandra have been left homeless after a fire, apparently caused by a paraffin stove, razed their shacks on Friday.
Johannesburg Emergency Services spokesperson Malcolm Midgley said it appears that a woman had left her paraffin stove on when she went gambling, causing the fire.
Nobody was hurt.
Midgley said although firefighters managed to extinguish the blaze before it spread across the entire settlement, the manner in which the shacks were structured made access to the fire very difficult.
He said the disaster management team was on site, ensuring that the destitute families found shelter and that their needs were attended to.
Johannesburg police spokesperson Inspector Amanda Roestoff said a case or arson has been opened but no arrests have been made. — Sapa