The fire incident that destroyed shacks at the Setswetla informal settlement in Alexandra, north of Johannesburg has been escalated to the SA Social Security Agency (Sassa) and the city’s social development for further assessments and intervention.
This is according to Robert Mulaudzi, spokesperson for the City of Johannesburg emergency management services, who said a person was killed when the fire erupted at the weekend.
The man, said Mulaudzi, was found burnt to ashes after a shack he was sleeping in caught fire. This after the EMS crew and firefighters had responded to a distress call.
Mulaudzi added that the affected families are temporarily accommodated by friends who still have their shacks in tact. In total, about four shacks were razed to the ground.
“One male succumbed to his death during this incident and one other person was injured. Disaster management and the Ashrafal Aid provided relief for the affected families,” he said.
“The incident has been escalated to both the South African Social Security Agency and the Johannesburg’s social development for further assessments and intervention.”
Even though the cause of the fire has not been established, Mulaudzi said it is suspected that it was caused by faulty electrical connections.
“The Johannesburg Metro Police Department and ward committees were also on the scene, and the SA Police Service will be conducting further investigations on the cause of the fire.
“The City of Johannesburg EMS would like to encourage residents, especially those living in informal settlements, to use safe heating appliances and to not leave them unattended particularly during loadshedding, so that we can prevent fire incidents like this one.”
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