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By Citizen Reporter

Journalist


IN PICS: About 100 homes destroyed as fire rips through Langa informal settlement

Although 12 fire engines and four water tankers were on the scene, it took hours to extinguish the fire


A fire broke out on Saturday evening in Langa’s Joe Slovo informal settlement, with around 100 homes thought to be damaged by the blaze.

Dr Zahid Badroodien, Cape Town’s MMC for Water and Sanitation, said the blaze was contained just before 9pm on Saturday night.

“It is estimated that about 100 structures are damaged,” said Badroodien.

He said the fire and emergency services had stayed on scene at the Joe Slovo informal settlement to deal with any flare-ups of the flames.

Langa residents used buckets of water to try put out the flames pf the fire that swept through their shacks on 16 April 2022. Photo: Gallo Images/Grant Pitcher

The fire was reported just before 6pm.

Badroodien said 12 fire engines and four water tankers were deployed to deal with the blaze. It took hours to extinguish the flames.

Residents of the Joe Slovo informal settlement survey the damage being done by the fire on 16 April 2022 in Langa, Cape Town. Photo: Brenton Geach/Gallo Images

A video from GroundUp showed residents forming a chain with buckets of water, desperately trying to douse the flames.

Others were frantically trying to salvage what they could from their belongings before the fire caught their home. Some could be seen just standing on their roofs and surveying the damage being done.

Fires swept through the tightly-packed homes in Langa’s informal settlement. Photo: Gallo Images/Grant Pitcher

The cause of the fire is unclear. No injuries or deaths have been reported.

The South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) was also at Langa to assess how many families are affected by the fire and what aid is needed to help those that lost their homes.

While some residents tried to fight the fire, others tried to salvage what they could. Photo: Gallo Images/Grant Pitcher

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