About 100 families were affected when their shacks were destroyed in a fire that swept through the Joe Slovo informal settlement in Johannesburg on Saturday night.
Bronwen Jones, director of the Children of Fire Trust, said the fire broke out at about 10.45pm in the camp, which is home to about 8 000 people.
”How must I find the strength to start all over again?” said James Phosa, a resident who was injured when the same area was razed to the ground in 2001.
Jones said in a statement on Sunday morning that fire engines arrived fairly quickly, but the community members — many of whom Children of Fire had trained in fire fighting — took the hoses from the emergency services and fought the fire themselves.
She said hoses were damaged by the sharp edges of corrugated-iron sheeting, causing water to come out of the torn hoses instead of the nozzle.
”Other people grabbed buckets, but the water pressure from the few taps in the community is so low that it took precious minutes to fill just one bucket, all the times [with] the flames moving closer and acrid choking smoke filling the air.”
Children of Fire’s firefighting water tank in the community had not been refilled by Brixton fire brigade.
No one sustained serious injuries, although some people suffered from smoke inhalation and others cut their hands when pulling shacks down to make a fire break and prevent the fire from spreading.
”A few people managed to pull out washing tubs full of clothes, but mostly they did not have time even to put on their shoes.
”Susan, a girl aged 13, stood barefoot in the mud and ashes. She said that her school shoes, size six, were burned,” said Jones.
The fire died down at about 1am, but Jones said it was possible the wind could fan the glowing embers and start the fire again.
Mothers with infants are in need of baby milk formula, bottles and other baby food. Mothers who are HIV-positive lost all their anti-retrovirals in the blaze.
”A large number of adults have lost their IDs, their matric certificates, their blue cards for the UIF [Unemployment Insurance Fund] and need help with letters and hopefully sympathy from [the Department of] Home Affairs, as they try to get documents replaced,” said Jones.
Community members took in friends and neighbours to share the space in their cramped shacks for the final few hours of the night.
She said Children of Fire would return to the camp on Sunday. — Sapa