The scene of the fire in Langa.
Image: Supplied
Another fire has hit Cape Town and this time 450 people have been left destitute a day after Christmas.
The incident took place off Winnie Mandela Street in Langa at about 8.15pm on Thursday. December 26.
The City of Cape Town’s Fire and Rescue Services spokesperson, Jermaine Carelse confirmed the incident.
“To contain the blaze, several fire crews from various fire stations were activated, and around 19 frontline fire resources and 80 staff, including the incident management team, were on the scene.
”The fire area was divided into three divisions in order to maximise the resources on scene and to mitigate further damages. By 2.30am, firefighters managed to extinguish the fire.
“Our initial estimates are around 150 structures were destroyed and about 450 persons were displaced,” Carelse said.
Fortunately, no injuries or fatalities have been reported.
The cause of the fire is not known at this stage.
Carelse said Disaster Risk Management will make an assessment to ascertain the exact numbers.
Disaster Management spokesperson, Sonica Lategan said formal assessments will be conducted on Friday to verify the number of structures destroyed and persons affected.
“The outcomes of the assessment will be submitted to Sassa and the National Department of Human Settlements, for the purposes of relief efforts. We will also activate and engage with various City Departments to clear the site and assist with any additional recovery efforts,” Lategan said.
She said Gift of the Givers indicated that they will assist with soft relief to the affected persons.
robin.francke@iol.co.za
IOL
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