Firefighters battle blaze in Masiphumelele

Cape Town firefighters and humanitarian relief organisations responded to a blaze that ripped through Masiphumelele in the early hours on Monday.

“At this stage there is no verification on the number of affected [people]. Indications are the number of structures destroyed could exceed 100,” said disaster management spokesperson Sonica Lategan.

Fire and rescue spokesperson Jermaine Carelse said emergency calls were received at 4.30am, and when the first arriving officers saw the extent of the fire they called for additional resources.  

“We have 14 frontline firefighting resources at the scene from different fire stations, with more than 70 staff . The incident command post has been set up in Houmoed Avenue, from where operations are being directed,” said Carelse.  

Electricity in the area was cut off to mitigate potential risk from overhead wires. There were no immediate reports of injuries or fatalities and the fire was under control.  

“Law enforcement has been requested to patrol the fire lines as there have been attempts to cut fire hoses,” said Carelse.  

Lategan said humanitarian relief partners Living Hope and Gift of the Givers were attending to the immediate needs of affected residents.

Gift of the Givers project manager Ali Sablay said: “Teams are active and supporting victims of five other fire sites over the past five days. Once the site has been declared safe by firefighters, Gift of the Givers teams will step in to provide humanitarian aid.”

Carelse said the blaze was extinguished at 11.50am. "There were no fatalities or injuries reported," he added.

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