South Africa
At least 73 dead in major fire at multi-story building in Johannesburg
At least 58 people have been killed in a fire at a multi-storey house in Johannesburg, South Africa
© Michele Spatari / AFP
At least 73 people died in a fire in a multi-storey building in the South African metropolis of Johannesburg. Dozens were injured. The cause of the fire is still unclear.
In the center of the South African metropolis At least 73 people died in a major fire in a building in Johannesburg. At least 52 other people were injured, said Robert Mulaudzi, spokesman for the local rescue service, on Platform X. The number of dead was previously given as 58.
Firefighters were able to extinguish the fire. The building was evacuated. Television images showed fire engines and ambulances outside the red-and-white building with windows burned out.
The number of victims could continue to rise
The rescue and salvage operation will therefore continue. According to Mulaudzi, the number of victims could continue to rise. It was unclear how many people were in the building at the time of the fire.
“We move from floor to floor,” Mulaudzi told ENCA. “It is truly a sad day for the city of Johannesburg,” he added. In more than 20 years of emergency services, he has never experienced anything like this.
The cause of the fire in Johannesburg is still unclear
According to Mulaudzi, the cause of the fire was initially unclear. Since there is no electricity in such buildings, it is reasonable to assume that candles or a cooking fire could have caused the fire, Mgcini Tshwaku, a public safety officer for the city of Johannesburg, told ENCA.
The house is located in a poor area of the former business center of the city. According to Malaudzi, it was used as an informal residence, so “many people” could have been in the building when the fire broke out. Many of the residents could have been there illegally, he explained.
The city center of Johannesburg is considered run-down and dangerous. Many years ago, companies and shops moved to surrounding districts due to the high crime rate in the city center. As a result, numerous buildings in the city center are empty, many of them occupied by homeless people. Illegal squatting in the empty buildings is very common there. Many are controlled by criminal cartels that collect rent from residents. Property owners have long since stopped maintaining their properties there, where market and rental prices have plummeted.
Note: The number of dead has been updated several times.