Khayelitsha fire displaces 160 people after 50 shacks destroyed

Residents of Town 2 in Khayelitsha, Cape Town, were awoken early on Saturday morning by a raging fire that destroyed 50 shacks.

Cape Town fire and rescue service spokesperson Jermaine Carelse said his department was alerted about the fire just before 2am.

“Several crews responded and a strong wind was fanning the fire to the nearby formal houses,” said Carelse.

“The incident management team was also activated just after 1am to mitigate the incident. Six fire engines and two water tankers were on scene and managed to contain and extinguish the blaze at 5.30am.”

He said an estimated 50 informal structures were destroyed and 160 residents were displaced.

“Four elderly women suffered from smoke inhalation and were treated by Metro EMS,” he said. “One firefighter sustained second-degree burn wounds to his right hand. The cause is still unknown and no fatalities were reported.”

Carelse added: “The fire is one of three significant incidents which fire and rescue services are dealing with, the other two being the fire in Blaauwberg which is still ongoing and some crews are monitoring the Rockview dam incident for potential flare-ups.”

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