Thirty-eight families have been left homeless after a fire at Pietermaritzburg’s Jika Joe informal settlement on Thursday.
|||Durban - Thirty-eight families have been left homeless after a fire at Pietermaritzburg’s Jika Joe informal settlement yesterday.
Msunduzi fire department shift commander Lincoln Pennels said that when fire fighters arrived on the scene, 20 shacks were engulfed in flames.
“It was chaotic. Shack dwellers were rushing to save their belongings,” he said.
Pennels said it was suspected the blaze had been caused by an unattended fire, made because of the chilly weather yesterday morning.
No fatalities were reported, police spokeswoman Lieutenant Joey Jeevan confirmed.
One person suffered burns to his arms and upper body and was taken to a clinic for treatment.
Msunduzi municipality spokesman Brian Zuma said disaster management teams were helping the families.
Forty tents had been provided for the families, as well as blankets and food hampers, Zuma said.
“We are monitoring the situation and will help in any way we can.”
One of the shack dwellers, Sibusiso Zondi, who had lived in the settlement for seven years, said he and his three children had lost all their possessions in the fire.
“We only have the clothes on our backs. The fire happened so suddenly.
We are just thankful to be alive,” Zondi said.
Daily News