Fire breaks out on Roodekrans Koppies

Officials responded to a fire on the Roodekrans Koppies on 26 May. Ryan Midgley from Emergency Control, Joburg West said the cause of the blaze had been classified as undetermined, but may have been caused by vagrants in the area. “There was fire damage consistent with wild land fires. There were no injuries on the scene.”

With the onslaught of winter and constant load-shedding, the cold has left the most vulnerable at risk. The homeless often set garbage alight to keep themselves warm during the winter nights but very often these fires get out of control and sometimes result in fatalities. Concurrently shack fires in informal settlements are an almost certainty in winter.

Joburg EMS spokesperson, Robert Mlaudzi said when using a coal brazier (imbaula) ensure that there is ventilation. Never sleep with an imbaula inside a shacks as this can cause carbon monoxide poisoning; instead take it out before you sleep to prevent such incidents.

“The City of Johannesburg Emergency Management Service through our public education unit will be intensifying our public education efforts by empowering our residents with much-needed information about fire safety due to the Covid-19 situation. We will be using our social media platforms to encourage our residents to be safe this winter,” he concluded.