Twelve shacks were destroyed this morning when a two-storey building in Jeppestown, Johannesburg, caught fire.
City of Johannesburg emergency management services (EMS) spokesperson Xolile Khumalo said EMS Firefighters responded to a fire incident call on the corner of Janie and Jules Street in Jeppestown, Johannesburg on Wednesday morning at 09:50am.
“On arrival, firefighters found a two-storey building on fire. The fire started in the basement of the building where shacks were erected. 12 shacks were destroyed in the incident. Fire completely extinguished,” said Khumalo.
Khumalo said no injuries have been reported.
“EMS implores the residents of Johannesburg to be extra cautious when using electrical appliances during the cold front,” said Khumalo.
When asked what was the cause of the fire, Khumalo said: “EMS firefighters are on their way to conduct assessments”.
Meanwhile, four children died on Monday in a house that caught fire in Mayfair, Johannesburg.
“The City of Johannesburg Emergency Management Services responded to a house on fire incident reported this Monday morning around 11h00 in Mayfair, Johannesburg. On arrival, firefighters found the house well alight and started conducting Firefighting operations.
“While conducting a search and rescue operation, four bodies of young kids ranging from two years old and below were recovered. Unfortunately, they were confirmed dead on the scene by Gauteng EMS Paramedics. It appears they might have suffered smoke inhalation during this fire incident,” said City of Joburg EMS spokesperson Robert Mulaudzi at the time.
Mulaudzi said the cause of the fire incident is believed to be a heating device which was in use before the fire started.
“Residents of the City of Johannesburg are urged to exercise caution when using heating devices since the South African Weather Services has issued a warning for extremely cold temperatures from this Wednesday, May 21 2025, towards the week,” said Mulaudzi.
