About 100 families were left homeless on Monday morning after a fire destroyed their shacks in Alexandra, northern Johannesburg.
Johannesburg emergency services spokesperson Malcolm Midgley said: ”A total of about 100 shacks were completely destroyed when an unknown source sparked fire around 5am in one of the shacks. One person is being treated for smoke inhalation as a result.”
He said residents of the shacks at the corner of 8th Street and Selbourne Avenue in Alexandra tried in vain to put out the fire that was raging through the settlement.
”Fire fighters eventually managed to put out the fire, but 100 families were already homeless,” Midgley said.
”The disaster management team has been dispatched to the area to see if they can help the stranded families and the Alexandra renewal project is also at the scene trying to help residents acquire material to re-build their shacks.”
He said investigations were still being conducted to determine the cause of the fire.
Midgley had earlier said the fire destroyed ten shacks, not 100. – Sapa