Two die‚ 30 shacks burn in Hangberg fire

Officials are still puzzling over the cause of a fire that killed two people and destroyed 30 shacks in Hangberg‚ Hout Bay‚ in the early hours of Friday.

Two other people had third degree burns and a woman was treated for smoke inhalation.

The blaze displaced a total of 90 people.

“Just after 02:00 this morning [Friday] the City’s Fire & Rescue Service responded to numerous wood and iron structures alight against the mountain slopes in Salamander Road‚ Hout Bay‚” said City of Cape Town spokesperson Edward Bosch.

“Eight fire engines‚ three water tankers and a rescue vehicle with 48 fire fighters responded to the incident. It took fire fighters just over five hours to bring the fire under control.”

He said the cause of the fire was still unknown.

Hangberg has been the site of protests over delays in the provision of housing. Earlier this month‚ City of Cape Town mayor Patricia de Lille announced a R500-million budget allocation for the 2018/19 financial year for 36 housing developments‚ including one in Hangberg.