Scores of Nompumelelo residents were displaced yesterday when about 25 shacks burnt down.There were no reported injuries.
There were no reported injuries.
Some helpless residents had to watch as their homes burnt down while others tried to salvage the little they could.
It was not yet clear how many shacks had burnt and what caused the fire.
With a child strapped to her back with a towel, three plastic bags and two backpacks Siphokazi Vumendlini said she did not know what her next move was going to be after she lost a lot of items.
“Our bed, fridge, TV, stove and everything else we own has burnt in the fire.
“When I heard people shouting that there was a fire, I tried to grab our most important items, some clothes and nappies,” she said.
Vumendlini said she did not know where she and her daughter were going to sleep last night.
Resident Fezekisa Zilindile watched in shock as shacks near her home were engulfed by flames.
“Our shack is also very close and there is nothing we can do to stop the flames from reaching us and it is coming close. We do not know what caused the fire but we are all very scared. We have nowhere else to go,” she said.
Ward councillor Makhaya Bopi said the community was devastated by two fires at the same time.
“There was a fire at G Section and while we were all focused on that fire, another shack caught fire at Ndlovini section,” he said..
“The fire is still raging and it is difficult to tell how many shacks have burnt and exactly how many people are now without homes,” he said.
Late yesterday afternoon Bopi said he was in communication with the school governing body at Sinempumelelo Primary School about using the facility to house displaced residents for the night.
“Schools are closed now and people have nowhere to go.
“I am doing my best so that people can have a place to sleep because we do not have a community hall.”
Buffalo City Metro spokesman Samkelo Ngwenya said they had counted about 25 shacks that had been burnt.
“We dispatched three fire engines and no fatalities were reported. The cause of the fire is still unknown but our fighters have the fire under control,” he said.
Ngwenya added that “normal” disaster management processes would follow but would not be drawn to giving details. — siyat@dispatch.co.za
Fire destroys 25 homes in Nompumelelo
There were no reported injuries.
Some helpless residents had to watch as their homes burnt down while others tried to salvage the little they could.
It was not yet clear how many shacks had burnt and what caused the fire.
With a child strapped to her back with a towel, three plastic bags and two backpacks Siphokazi Vumendlini said she did not know what her next move was going to be after she lost a lot of items.
“Our bed, fridge, TV, stove and everything else we own has burnt in the fire.
“When I heard people shouting that there was a fire, I tried to grab our most important items, some clothes and nappies,” she said.
Vumendlini said she did not know where she and her daughter were going to sleep last night.
Resident Fezekisa Zilindile watched in shock as shacks near her home were engulfed by flames.
“Our shack is also very close and there is nothing we can do to stop the flames from reaching us and it is coming close. We do not know what caused the fire but we are all very scared. We have nowhere else to go,” she said.
Ward councillor Makhaya Bopi said the community was devastated by two fires at the same time.
“There was a fire at G Section and while we were all focused on that fire, another shack caught fire at Ndlovini section,” he said..
“The fire is still raging and it is difficult to tell how many shacks have burnt and exactly how many people are now without homes,” he said.
Late yesterday afternoon Bopi said he was in communication with the school governing body at Sinempumelelo Primary School about using the facility to house displaced residents for the night.
“Schools are closed now and people have nowhere to go.
“I am doing my best so that people can have a place to sleep because we do not have a community hall.”
Buffalo City Metro spokesman Samkelo Ngwenya said they had counted about 25 shacks that had been burnt.
“We dispatched three fire engines and no fatalities were reported. The cause of the fire is still unknown but our fighters have the fire under control,” he said.
Ngwenya added that “normal” disaster management processes would follow but would not be drawn to giving details. — siyat@dispatch.co.za
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