Devastating blaze destroys 1000 dwellings in Masiphumelele
At least 1000 dwellings have been destroyed by a devastating fire in Masiphumelele, south of Cape Town.
The city’s Fire and Rescue Service spent hours trying to put out the fire, with the initial count indicating that about 1 000 dwellings had been affected.
Spokesperson for Fire and Rescue Service Jermain Carelse says the blaze broke out on Thursday afternoon.
“We received a call yesterday afternoon from a caller saying there was thick black smoke coming from the Masiphumelele area. The strong winds were fanning the fires and they were spreading at a very rapid rate. We had a total of 13 fire-fighting appliances and over 60 personnel there throughout the night.
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“Luckily there were no injuries or fatalities that were reported. What I can tell you is that the guys worked tirelessly throughout the night. We were fortunate enough that we had a helicopter water bomb the area and at 1am the fire was extinguished.”
Emergency crews remained on the scene on Friday morning to ensure there were no further flare-ups amid the strong winds in the area.
