One man has died and hundreds of people have been left homeless after two fires swept through shacks in Denver, south of Johannesburg, emergency personnel said on Monday.
Emergency management services spokesperson Percy Morokane said 134 shacks had burnt down, leaving about 274 people homeless.
He said the first blaze had started at about 1am on Monday, in an informal settlement near the Denver hostel. Eighty-four shacks burnt down and about 174 residents were left homeless.
A 30-year-old man had died in the shack where the fire started.
In the second fire, 50 shacks were razed and 100 people left homeless.
Morokane said the causes of the fires were unknown, but it was believed human error played a role.
He said emergency services were still on the scene making an assessment.
“Once the assessment is done then arrangements will be made for food and shelter [for the homeless] … but it is difficult because most of the residents are at work now.
“We will wait until they return from work. Some of them are already rebuilding their homes.”
Morokane said bystanders at the scene had disconnected fire hoses from hydrants while firefighters were at work.
“This happened at one of the fires today, and has happened at other fires. It puts firefighters and residents in danger.”
He appealed to members of the public to “discontinue this practice”, saying it was a “criminal act.” — Sapa