Pretoria – At least 45 makeshift homes went up in flames at an informal settlement east of Pretoria leaving hundreds of people without shelter.
The City of Tshwane Emergency Services Department said it “responded to a fire incident involving 45 shacks at Plasticview informal settlement on Saturday, (4 November 2023)”.
“One patient was treated and transported for smoke inhalation and moderate injuries and three were treated for minor injuries on the scene but refused transport to a medical facility.
“Two hundred and fifty people lost shelter and personal belongings because of the fire.”
Emergency services said they responded to the scene after 04:33.
When they arrived on the scene they found multiple shacks on fire and immediately started firefighting operations while protecting scores of unburnt shacks from being affected.
The fire was contained and subsequently extinguished.
The Tshwane Emergency Services Department will intensify public awareness campaigns at this informal settlement as part of continuous education to the communities on fire safety and disaster risk reduction.
The department warned residents to use paraffin stoves with extreme caution, never leave open fires without adult supervision or unattended, and never to overload electrical plugs with appliances.
Illegal electricity connections are a fire and life hazard. Residents should always be aware that it might lead to emergency incidents.
Officials from the Tshwane Emergency Services Department Disaster Management and the city’s Community and Social Development Department were coordinating relief efforts for the affected.
The National and Provincial Departments of Human Settlement have been notified of the incident.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
For fire and rescue incidents dial 107, toll-free, and dial 112 for ambulance services.
