About 150 shacks burnt down when a fire swept through George Gogh informal settlement south of Johannesburg on Monday afternoon, emergency services said.
Spokesperson Malcolm Midgley said the fire started just after 4pm when a rubbish fire got out of hand.
Midgley said residents were evacuated from their shacks and those who had lost their homes would receive emergency relief from the Salvation Army and disaster management services.
Firefighters managed to bring the blaze under control and were busy with dampening down operations which, according to Midgley, would take a few more hours.
No injuries were reported as a result of the fire. – Sapa