Delmore shack fire claims one life
The blaze destroyed 10 homes and prompted a multi-station firefighting response. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
One adult male died as he burnt beyond recognition in a multiple shack inferno in Delmore informal settlement on May 21.
The city’s fire department received a call at about 23:05.
The primary responding team of firefighters from Primrose Fire Station rapidly responded to the scene for intervention with backing from Bedfordview, Germiston, and Edenvale fire stations, respectively.
The backup was activated due to the risk assessment conducted on the scene, which indicated that the entire informal settlement could be involved.
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“On arrival, the fire was spreading at an alarming speed from the base’s original point to nearby structures due to blowing wind. A team of 21 firefighters used two attack lines to battle the blaze,” said DEMS Spokesperson William Ntladi.
“Flames were successfully extinguished before gaining momentum to spread to other shacks. The blaze damaged 10 shacks and an adult male dweller in his early 60s died.
“The cause of the blaze is undetermined, and the scene was handed over to the SAPS for investigations and removal of the deceased to a suitable pathological facility.
“Challenges met was that fire engines couldn’t come nearer to the scene due to narrow roads within the settlement and self-connected overhead electrical cables which were not high enough to accommodate the sizes of fire engines. In such instances, very long hones had to be connected to where the inferno was,” said Ntladi.
