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Residents look on as the fire gutters the shacks.
Johannesburg Emergency Services says although the fire that destroyed hundreds of shacks at the Booysens Informal settlements in Johannesburg has been extinguished, it is still not safe for residents to rebuild their homes at the site.
This is after more than 400 families lost their homes when a devastating fire ripped through the area on Monday afternoon.
EMS personnel will remain on-site to monitor the situation. The cause of the fire is still unknown.
What many called home for many years has turned into ash as a ranging fire engulfed and destroyed everything they had. This is the aftermath, and residents have no choice but to rebuild and start afresh.
“People lost properties, children lost their school uniforms. I managed to get my children’s identity documents, but I couldn’t get my phone, and it had my identity document,”
“My ARVs have been burnt, I have defaulted from yesterday. I’m skeptical about going to the clinic looking like this. I don’t have anything, my clothes are all burnt, even a toothbrush,”
Non-governmental organisation, Gift of the Givers, was on the scene to assist with blankets, mattresses and other necessities.
“The trucks have been loaded, with blankets, mattresses, hygiene packs, some sanitary pads and cereals for babies. And then we are going to provide hot meals for today for lunch. I think we are going to be on the ground until Wednesday to provide hot meals,” says Gift of the Givers’ Communication Liaison Officer, Clifford Maabe.
City of Johannesburg Emergency Services spokesperson, Xolile Khumalo has urged the residents to be cautious while rebuilding saying the site is still unsafe.
“What we can say to them is that they can just be very careful. Because the ground is still hot and also the inhalation of carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide is very dangerous. So, that’s all we can say to them, but we have no way of stopping them, we don’t have any rights to stop them from building,”
Officials are still assessing the damage, and no fatalities have been reported.
Video: Booysens Informal Settlement engulfed by raging fires, dozens left homeless
