Meet ‘hero who saved the day’ after deadly blaze at Midrand complex

While it was Joburg EMS's firefighters who eventually extinguished a deadly blaze that engulfed a Midrand complex on Tuesday night, the real hero was a resident who raised the alarm and barred those who wanted to go back for their possessions.

Tebogo Seloane, 32, has been lauded by Broadwalk Urban Village residents for alerting his neighbours to the danger and helping evacuate most of them from the building.

“We know this guy for his loudness, but he's the hero who saved the day and everyone,” one resident said.

A fire broke out at the complex on Broadwalk Street on Tuesday night which left one person dead.

A woman's body was found “submerged under rubble and the roof that had collapsed during the fire”, Johannesburg emergency services (EMS) said on Wednesday afternoon.

Broadwalk has about 130 apartments located over two storeys. The building's second floor was the worst-hit.

Seloane was still at the scene on Wednesday morning, still upbeat and in high spirits despite the long night.

He said he was first alerted to the incident when he noticed smoke creeping into his apartment from his neighbour's home.

When he opened the door, he found the security guard had been trying to raise him by knocking on his door. Seloane didn't hear him as he had been wearing headphones and was on the phone with his girlfriend.

“When I got out, he was standing there, and he informed me that there was smoke coming out of that room. We tried to get the spare keys but didn't manage, so ... we ended up breaking open the door. That smoke was so heavy, there was nothing we could do because if you inhaled it, you were going to be knocked out,” he said.

I ran back and started kicking at people's doors to tell them to get out. Because the alarm had been ringing for a good while, but normally in our building, the alarm would go off but ... it wouldn't really mean there's a fire.

—  Tebogo Seloane

Seloane then noticed smoke and flames coming from above. It was then that he raised the alarm.

“That's when I ran back and started kicking at people's doors to tell them to get out. Because the alarm had been ringing for a good while, but normally in our building, the alarm would go off but ... it wouldn't really mean there's a fire.

“People started coming out and running and I was shouting at them to get out. Everyone eventually got out,” he recalled.

Seloane and the security were unable to enter his neighbour's apartment. They feared his neighbour had inhaled smoke while sleeping and had passed out. They later found out that there was no-one in the room when the fire broke out.

Seloane said her whereabouts remain a mystery as she was last seen last week Thursday.

“We don't know where she is. I've been trying to call her since Tuesday night, even her parents were here trying to reach her.”

The brave resident explained how the training he'd received in his work at various power stations helped guide his actions in carrying out the successful evacuation.

“I work in the power stations, so we do a lot of safety work. So with that, you already know how to act [in such situations]. That's why my natural instinct was to get everyone out, the only issue was that I didn't have a mask to cover my mouth. 

“There were three or four people who wanted to go back and get their things, but I blocked them and told them, 'life is more important. These are materialistic things, you can replace them in a few months.' But at that moment I don't think they were hearing me, so I kept pushing them back, so I think that's why they are more grateful for the action I took,” he said.

Seloane said while he too had lost everything, he was hoping to at least salvage his identity book.

Authorities confirmed the displaced residents would be accommodated at two nearby motels, but this is only for one day, according to several residents TimesLIVE Premium spoke to.

Many said they were still waiting for further communication from the owner or management on when they would be allowed back into the complex to collect their remaining possessions and whether they would be compensated for their losses.

“I hope they secure that accommodation for residents till the 30th [of September] because they owe it to them,” Seloane said.

TimesLIVE Premium reached out to Mafadi property rentals, which manages the complex, who confirmed they had provided alternative accommodation for tenants and that “everything is under control” in terms of the investigation into the fire.

A follow-up request for clarity on how long the alternative accommodation would be offered was met with no comment on their part.