Cape Town - Firefighters trying to put out a blaze on the Cape Flats were forced to retreat after the community started stoning them.
The incident happened on Monday night in Merlin Street, in Phumlani Village, Eagle Park, after four shacks caught alight in a backyard.
Three trucks were stoned, but the 20 victims affected by the blaze claim they know nothing of the attack.
On Tuesday, the remains of the burnt out structures lay strewn in the street while residents rummaged through the debris, trying to salvage what they can.
The City’s Fire and Rescue department says it had dispatched 12 firefighters, two fire engines and a water tanker to the area at about 7pm on Monday.
But as soon as they arrived, the officials were forced to leave when community members became riotous and began stoning them.
Tenant Ismail Allie, 22, lost everything in the fire.
“There were four homes that burnt and this was an electrical fault,” he says.
“I was called to the scene and when I arrived here, the fire was already bad."
“I couldn’t save any of my belongings."
“The police arrived here, but they left after a few minutes and said they didn’t know what was going on. I don’t know why the police was here.”
The men inside the house claimed the landlord lives in the Eastern Cape.
But the City’s Fire and Rescue spokesperson, Liezl Moodie, says their teams were attacked and that they would have opted for a police escort had they known the area would be dangerous.
“Our teams are usually escorted into volatile arrears by the SAPS for safety," she says.
“No injuries were reported while the Fire and Rescue Service was on scene.
“On arrival the officer reported that the area was volatile 12 firefighters had to withdraw from the incident.”
Police spokesperson, Captain FC van Wyk, could not shed light on the matter, and says they are still trying to ascertain what had happened at the scene.
Police have yet to determine the motive.