The community of Langa in Joe Slovo were left devastated over the Easter weekend after their homes and all their possessions went up in flames on Saturday night and Sunday morning in two separate fires.
Community members said they could not believe their eyes when they saw their houses burning. Many were asleep when the first fire broke out on Saturday evening.
Fire victims said all they could hear were shouts of “fire, fire” and had to get up and leave their beds. A woman who identified herself as Nomsa said: “My neighbours called me while I was asleep. They screamed that there was fire and I had to get out. It was like a dream. At that time my shack was on fire. I rushed out and heard an explosion. But the fire had unfortunately already caused severe damage to my house and those of others,” she said.
She had to watch helplessly as the area was destroyed by fire. Fortunately no one was injured in the disaster. “We suspect an electrical fault to have caused the fire because everybody says the fire was from the electricity poles. One was even screaming that we should cut the wires from the pole. We are not sure but we suspect that,” she said.
When Vukani visited the area, residents were busy trying to rebuild their shacks with charred corrugated iron boards. Some had to buy new ones.
Another single mother Nobathembu Siko called for help from community members after her two-roomed shack caught fire and everything they owned was destroyed. “I am left with nothing. Children’s school uniforms and our identity documents are gone. In fact we have nothing left, only the clothes that we are with,” she said.
She recalls feeling helpless as she watched the shack burn. She is thankful that no one was in the shack at the time. “I really cannot cannot explain how the fire could have started. We have no straight answer to that. We tried to extinguish the fire while at the same time trying to call the police and firefighters, but the fire was very fierce. I call for any Good Samaritan to come help us,” she said.
Ward 52 councillor Thdembelani Nyamakazi said the fires were worrying. He said people have lost all of their belongings.
He said an assessment would be done to find out what exactly was lost.
Fire and Rescue Services spokesman Jermaine Carelse said it was a busy Saturday night for firefighters with four informal residential fires in Langa, Mfuleni and Dunoon near Milnerton.
Mr Carelse said at 7.20pm, a call was received of shacks alight in Mshumpela Way in Langa. He said 11 firefighting vehicles were dispatched to the scene, with approximately 40 staff. By 9.40pm, the fire was extinguished and no injuries or fatalities were reported. “Initial estimates were that approximately 40 structures were affected. At around 1.35am on Sunday, the Fire and Rescue Service was activated to return to Mshumpela Way in Langa, where a second fire had broken out. A total of 10 firefighting vehicles were on scene from various fire stations and firefighters managed to contain and extinguish the fire by 4.25am,” said Mr Carelse.
He estimated approximately 50 informal structures that were affected.
A fire in the early hours on Sunday morning in Umzumbe Street in Mfuleni claimed the lives of two people when 150 shacks burnt down.
