A FIRE blazed through Dakota beach informal settlement, Isipingo, in the early hours of this morning, leaving a trail of carnage throughout the centre section of the settlement and displacing hundreds of residents.

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The massive fire broke at around 03:00. According to a resident, Nini Maxhakanwa, whose home is among the rubble, the fire began in one of the shacks nearby Ernest Clokie Road, and by the time emergency services had arrived, it razed shacks around 10m inwards toward the centre of the settlement. eThekwini Municipality Fire and Emergency Services, together with disaster management teams, mobilised swiftly to ensure that no lives were lost in the fire.

Among the first responders was station commander Sifiso Mbatha of Prospecton Fire Station, who said, “When we got here, 30m² of shacks were already burning. Due to the distance from Ernest Clokie Road to the shacks, we had to run all the hoses in the machine. We ran two lines into the fire, one towards the south and one towards the north, so we could contain the fire. We managed to cover all the spheres, but the wind was blowing towards the east, so our main concern was there.”

He added that responders had at their disposal three water carriers and four rescue pumpers and more to fight the fire.

Mbatha said that all the residents were accounted for and no lives were lost.

In a statement issued by the eThekwini Municipality, around 200 informal structures were destroyed, resulting in 300 people, including children, being displaced.

“The fire is believed to have been caused by a burning brazier, commonly known as an imbawula. Onsite humanitarian assistance is being provided by the Municipality’s Disaster Management Directorate, in partnership with the non-profit organisation The Gift of the Givers. They are working together to provide support to affected residents with emergency relief, including food, blankets, and other essential items. Displaced families have found temporary refuge with neighbours, friends, and relatives,” it said.

Another resident, Jabulani Magwaza, said that by-and-large, residents affected lost everything.

“I only have the clothes on my back. Most of us lost everything. When I saw the fire break out, I went out to help. My home is towards the top of the hill and by the time I got back, my home burnt down as well,” he said.

He and countless other residents are working tirelessly to rebuild, from clearing out the rubble, salvaging whatever, if anything, is left and starting anew.

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