‘We are dying’: Shock as Joburg CBD building blaze claims 73 lives

The last words some survivors heard as they rushed to evacuate a blazing building in the Joburg CBD in the early hours of Thursday were “we are dying”.

Seventy-three people have so far been confirmed dead and more than 50 were injured after Usindiso building caught fire at around 1.30am.

A resident told TimesLIVE she rushed out of the building when her child woke her up to the smoke.

“I was sleeping and didn’t hear anything until he woke me up. I knew that when it comes to fire, you must just grab your children and run. It was so scary but at least we made it out.

“It’s bad now and we don’t know where we will sleep tonight.” said the woman, who asked not to be named.

Sibusiso Dladla, who lived in the opposite building, said he was awoken at about 2am.

"We heard screams and saw some people were throwing themselves out the building.

"They tried to rescue their children through the windows.

“Then they started to come downstairs and they were all crying."

Another resident described to Newzroom Afrika the chaos that ensued just after midnight when the fire broke out.

He said he was woken by a woman's screams as she alerted his next-door neighbour of the blaze.

“I just heard people screaming 'we are dying', but I thought maybe I was dreaming,” he said.

He recalled the copious amount of smoke and flames engulfing every exit of the building.

He said he was only able to take his ID book and cellphone but, like everyone else, lost everything.

Gift of the Givers team members are assembling assistance for the firefighters who have worked through the night to contain the blaze and rescue survivors. This includes rehydration and energy-enriched foods.

The NGO's Imtiaz Sooliman said he would also liaise with the City of Johannesburg to see how best to assist the victims once the fire is under control and alternative accommodation has been sourced.

TimesLIVE