By Dideka Njemla
Over 70 people were fatally wounded and more than 50 people left injured due to the fire that took place at building in the Johannesburg CBD that was illegally occupied, yesterday morning. The fire began on the corner of Albert and Delver Street around 01h30. Upon arrival, firefighters managed to evacuate occupants, however several were left stranded. The remaining occupants were rushed to the nearest hospital, while the bodies that were retrieved were handed over to the Diepkloof forensic pathology services (FPS) mortuary. Several of the retrieved bodies were burnt beyond identification and will only be handed over to their families once the DNA analysis and identification processes are completed.
According to Premier of Gauteng, Panyaza Lesufi, a total of 74 bodies have been recovered to date.
Johannesburg Emergency Management Services spokesperson Robert Mulaudzi said the death toll may increase because there was an informal settlement inside the building which may have resulted in people being trapped while trying to escape. The cause of the fire remains unknown and is still under investigation.
Housing
Johannesburg’s Transport Mayco member Kenny Kunene says the hijacking of buildings in the city center has been a serious problem for years. The cause of the fire could be due to many different reasons, with illegal electricity connections being the number one suspect. Many of these illegally occupied buildings are unsafe for occupants to live in.
“Every floor has an informal settlement, and those that were trying to evacuate were trapped because of the structures between the floors”, stated Mulaudzi.
Condolences
President Cyril Ramaphosa and his cabinet sent condolences to the families and friends of those who died in the fire. Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni said,
“Without attempting to pre-empt what could have been the cause of the fire, we will allow investigations by the relevant authorities to take place and to report.”
Aid
Gift of the Givers’ member, Clifford Mabe said relief efforts are being offered for those who are in need.
“Our team is on standby. We’re going to assist them with everything, blankets, clothes, hygiene packs. We’re waiting on disaster management because, remember, we need to know where these people are going and how many are they.”
Photo: JHB EMS
