Forty shacks were gutted in a fire at an informal settlement on Thursday night, Johannesburg emergency services said.
Spokesperson Chief Superintendent Malcolm Midgley said the fire broke out at about 7pm and spread through the settlement completely, destroying 40 out of 1 000 shacks at Riverlea.
”A mother also gave birth to premature five-month-old twins while we were trying to extinguish the blaze,” said Midgley.
”We have resuscitated her, and she and the twins have been taken to hospital. Only a few minor injuries were reported and those people don’t really require medical treatment.”
Midgley said some families were rebuilding their shacks, while others have been taken in by neighbours.
He said the cause of the fire was still unknown. — Sapa