Residents in Masiphumelele in Cape Town were dealt a heavy blow just days before Christmas when a fire broke out during the early morning hours on Monday in the informal settlement.
The City of Cape Town spokesperson for Fire and Rescue Services, Jermain Carelse said an emergency call was received at about 4.30am of structures alight.
The scene is still active.
“The first arriving officer from Kommetjie Road saw the extent of the fire and called for additional resources. Currently, we have 14 frontline firefighting resources on the scene from various fire stations, with more than 70 staff members on the scene including the Incident Management Team Type 4. The Incident Command Post has been set up on Houmoed Avenue, where operations are being directed,” Carelse said.
He said electricity in the area has been shut off to mitigate any potential risk from overhead wires.
“Law Enforcement has been requested to patrol the fire lines, as there have been attempts to cut fire hoses. The fire is under control at this stage and no injuries/fatalities have been reported,” Carelse said.
The City’s Disaster Risk Management spokesperson, Sonica Lategan said it would be conducting a formal assessment of the fire once Fire and Rescue Services have cleared the site.
“At this stage, there is no verification of the number of affected persons. Indications are that the number of structures destroyed could exceed 100.
“These statistics will be confirmed once the assessment has been completed, and all affected persons registered for onward submission to Sassa and the National Department of Human Settlements. Humanitarian relief partners, Living Hope and Gift of the Givers are on site to assist with the immediate needs of the affected residents. The assessment will also determine which additional City Services are required on-site to assist with recovery efforts,” Lategan said.
Gift of the Givers spokesperson, Ali Sablay said its team has been activated since 5am when calls for assistance started streaming in.
“Gift of the Givers teams are still active and supporting fire victims of five other fire sites over the last five days. Once the site has been declared safe from the firefighters, Gift of the Givers teams will step in to provide humanitarian aid at 11am,” Sablay said.