WATCH: Residents urged to be cautious after fire guts South Hills flat
The blaze burnt the entire unit.
A fire broke out in a flat on Delmas Street, South Hills.
The blaze left burnt clothes strewn all over the floor, damaged furniture and a blackened wall.
It’s suspected that people trying to keep warm in freezing weather triggered the fire. Fortunately, there were no injuries or fatalities recorded.
The burnt unit did not have a usable fire extinguisher, and there are claims of theft of the functioning extinguishers.
Ward 57 Clr Faaeza Chame calls on residents to refrain from lighting fires inside flats.
“We find most fires happen during winter, and it concerns me that most of the units house old stock and don’t have working fire extinguishers or, in some events, the functioning extinguishers were stolen. What is more concerning are the frequent water outages, which pose a fire hazard,” said Chame.
Residents urged to be cautious after fire guts South Hills flat pic.twitter.com/DttyK3WKds
— Southern Courier SA (@courier_sa) July 11, 2024
Here are measures residents are urged to follow, particularly in winter:
• Never leave pots unattended on the stove, especially those containing cooking oil.
• Ensure you turn off the stove during load-reduction, load-shedding and power outages.
• Store gas cylinders in well-ventilated areas.
• Do not put a gas bottle on a stove top during load-shedding or power failures.
• Ensure all candles are in a safe holder, away from burning material.
• Keep a bucket or container with water handy to extinguish small fires or when one starts.
• Maintain your electrical wire system.
• Keep a fire extinguisher.
