Authorities on 'high alert' as cold front hits Joburg
Emergency services in Johannesburg are on high alert following a warning from the South African Weather Service of a significant drop in temperatures for Johannesburg on Wednesday.
Last weekend fire at Kwa Mai Mai Informal Settlement in downtown Joburg left one person dead and more than 500 people displaced.
"We would like to urge all our residents to use all heating devices safely i.e. heaters, imbaula, paraffin stoves, and candles not to leave them unattended while in use to prevent fire incidents at home," says emergency services spokesperson Robert Mulaudzi
He says unattended heating devices and candles usually lead to fires.
"We have our Disaster Management teams monitoring all incidents which might occur, and all our fire stations are fully operational throughout the city to make sure that we can respond to any incidents which might occur.
"This drop-in temperature means that our residents throughout the City of Johannesburg will be tempted to use all sorts of heating devices to try and warm themselves against these extremely cold temperatures in the process making themselves vulnerable to fire."
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