Over 60 Lives Lost in Deadly Joburg Fire
Over 60 lives lost in deadly Joburg fire – with the number set to rise
A fire in a five-story building in downtown Johannesburg, South Africa’s commercial capital, left at least 63 people dead, city officials said.
The blaze in the illegally occupied building, which erupted in the central business district overnight, also left 43 people injured, the municipality said in a statement on Thursday.
Multiple people are being treated at the scene, it said.
“We have recovered 52 bodies and 43 people who were injured have been transported to various healthcare facilities,” Johannesburg Emergency Management Services spokesman Robert Mulaudzi told broadcaster Newzroom Afrika.
“There are possibilities of more fatalities.”
The cause of the fire is unknown, the Johannesburg EMS said in an earlier statement.
Search and rescue operations are under way and police will begin their investigations once the emergency services complete their work in the area.
The fire comes a month after a gas explosion left one person dead, and several others injured, while also causing damage to infrastructure in the inner city.
The City of Johannesburg’s Emergency Management Services firefighters are currently responding to a fire from a five-storey building in the inner city on the corner of Alberts and Delvers street. The fire reportedly started around 01h30.
On arrival, the firefighters evacuated all the people out of the building while conducting firefighting operations. At this present moment, at least 63 people have been confirmed dead on scene and 43 people were treated on scene and later transported to various healthcare facilities for further medical care.
At this stage the cause of the fire incident is still a subject of investigations.
Officials from City of Johannesburg Disaster Management have been activated to start facilitating relief for affected families. Evacuations from the building are still ongoing.
