Cape Town – Alternative accommodation has been found for Huis ten Bosch women's hostel residents at Stellenbosch University who had to be evacuated after the building caught fire last night.
A total of 160 students were evacuated and two students had to be treated for burn wounds after a fire broke out on the third floor of the hostel, which was burnt down in a fire 36 years ago, at around 7pm. The blaze was extinguished at 20.30pm, Stellenbosch University said.
Netwerk24 reported that the fire had started around 7pm in a room on the third floor.
It's claimed a heater "exploded" in a girl's room, which ended up in eight rooms being destroyed.
"They say the girl who was in the room where the heater exploded wasn't injured," Hailey Joseph told Die Burger.
"Students in the Huis ten Bosch residence have been housed in other accommodation, private residence accommodation or in other residences on campus or with parents.
"I can also confirm that the neighbouring residence Lydia has also been evacuated as a precautionary measure. But students in that particular residence have moved back," Viljoen said.
University Rector and Vice-Chancellor Professor Wim de Villiers said a 24-hour crisis service of the Centre for Student Counselling and Development has been activated.
"The res is not fit for accommodation but the residents will be accommodated elsewhere. I have met with them. Some of them were indeed traumatised and were receiving counselling.
"The deans of the respective faculties have been notified and that will of course be taken into account.
"Somebody ran out and told us there was a fire and we thought it was a drill so we walked out ordinarily," a student told the SABC.
"We came outside and we started smelling the fire. We saw the flames started going up and they told us it's serious so we were all very heartbroken because this is our home all of our stuff is there.
"I feel so traumatised and scared and I think all my clothes got burnt."
%%%twitter https://twitter.com/hashtag/stellenbosch?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#stellenbosch #huistenbosch #stellenboschfire pic.twitter.com/ex9jEIAZMg
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