No injuries in Alexandra fire started by fallen electricity pylon
The shack fire in Stjwetla, Alexandra, has been contained, City of Johannesburg emergency medical services (EMS) said on Tuesday afternoon.
EMS spokesperson Nana Radebe said over 100 shacks were destroyed in the blaze.
She said disaster management teams were on the scene to see how many people were displaced.
"Disaster management is working very hard to make sure that everyone that does has a place, can be helped."
As the rain continued to fall, several residents were trying to salvage their belongings.
No injuries have been reported.
The fire broke out at around 1.30pm on Tuesday. City Power spokesperson Isaac Mangena said an electricity pylon and its overhead lines collapsed, setting several shacks alight.
"We don't know what caused it to fall, because normally it stands firmly in the ground. The line carries about 88 kilovolts of electricity. It is just by luck that when it fell, it did not touch people," said Mangena.
"We are just waiting for EMS to finish so that we can investigate."
@CityofJoburgEMS #Alexandra @CityPowerJhb confirmed that one of its #Pylons fell into one of the Shacks in the process causing multiple shack fire incident @CityofJoburgZA @CoJPublicSafety
— Cojems Spokesperson (@RobertMulaudzi) March 5, 2019
The situation in Stjwetla Alexandra #kayatraffic
— KayaTraffic (@KayaTraffic) March 5, 2019
A pylon and the overhead lines from the pylon fell resulting in the shacks catching fire @CityPowerJhb pic.twitter.com/wtASh18Tf9
Rescue efforts are underway in Alexandra north of Johannesburg after several shacks caught fire this afternoon. Fire fighters have been deployed to the scene. No fatalities have been reported but investigations are underway into the cause of the fire.
— SABC News Online (@SABCNewsOnline) March 5, 2019
Video: Ningi Sanele pic.twitter.com/rpmvGciZbK