The damage left many residents homeless.
More than 150 informal settlement residents have to rebuild their lives after a fire on Saturday destroyed more than 70 shacks at the Sivilcon informal settlement in Pretoria.
City of Tshwane emergency services spokesperson Deputy Chief Nana Radebe-Kgiba said mopping up operations were ongoing.
No fatalities reported
Crews remain on-site until the fire is fully extinguished after multiple shacks went up in flames at Sivilcon, near Sefako Makgatho Drive in Derdepoort, Tshwane.
Radebe-Kgiba said emergency services were alerted to a fire incident at 1.07pm on Saturday.
“Crews from Silverton, Innesdale and Wonderboom fire stations arrived promptly and began firefighting operations to suppress the blaze. Fortunately, all residents managed to evacuate on time and no injuries or fatalities were reported,” she said.
Community assists emergency services in desperate attempts to halt fire
Radebe-Kgiba said the coordinated effort by firefighters ensured the blaze was quickly brought under control and prevented further spread.
Firefighting teams worked methodically to contain the flames and manage the intense heat and smoke. Sinoville Firefighting Association (SFFA) chair Carel van Bosch described the fire as an intense and chaotic scene.
“I saw children and residents running across Zambezi Drive to escape the fire. The community was desperate — some residents even grabbed equipment from our hands in an attempt to fight the flames themselves.
“When the water supply ran out, panic and tension grew among the residents. Dozens of informal zinc houses were engulfed in massive flames, with multiple gas cylinders exploding across the site,” he said.
Fire leaves many homeless
Bosch said the Roodeplaat Fire Protection Association was also on scene and arranged a 5 000-litre water tanker to support the two SFFA units once their own supplies were depleted.
“By this time, several Tshwane heavy vehicles had arrived on scene. SFFA began fire suppression from the newly established water source, flanking from the western side. Shortly after, a Tshwane representative came and thanked SFFA for its assistance and confirmed that they had the situation under control, requesting that SFFA withdraw,” he said.
Bosch said when SFFA withdrew, the fire was still burning fiercely, with intense heat, exploding gas bottles and residents crying on the ground as they watched their homes and belongings being destroyed.
“Of the two rows of shacks, the row closest to Zambezi Drive could be saved, but the back row was completely destroyed,” he said. The damage left many residents homeless.
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