Three hundred people were left homeless after a fire destroyed their homes in Langa, Cape Town on Monday, the Cape Town disaster risk management centre said.
Spokesman Wilfred Solomons-Johannes said fire-fighters were sent to the Zone 30 informal settlement when the blaze was seen by the city's surveillance centre.
Solomons-Johannes said the fire started around 9am but emergency workers only managed to extinguish it at around 2pm.
"The [fire] destroyed 83 wooden and iron structures, leaving 168 adults and 120 children homeless," he said.
No injuries were reported. The cause of the fire was not known.
He said some residents had started rebuilding their homes and some refused to go to the hall the city provided.
"Others said they will stay on the site overnight, to protect what is left."
He said the disaster management team would clean up the area.
Just R20 for the first month. Support independent journalism by subscribing to our digital news package. 
