Cape Town - A grim sight awaits hundreds of Phola Park informal settlement residents in Philippi whose shacks were ravaged by a fire that claimed the life of a 32-year-old woman at the weekend.
When most of them return from their holiday destinations to prepare for their children’s return to school, they will have to rebuild from scratch, including applying for new ID documents and birth certificates.
The Phola Park fire destroyed 247 shacks, affecting 760 people on Sunday.
It came just hours after three people were killed and 79 affected when 34 shacks were destroyed in Sobukwe Road in Masiphumelele at about 2am on Saturday.
Hours before that fire, 233 people were left destitute when 106 shacks were gutted in a Dunoon fire on Friday.
The causes of the three fires haven’t been identified yet, but the Phola Park incident is believed to have started from the deceased woman’s shack.
Officials have previously cited electrical short circuits, smoking in bed, open flames left unattended, people under the influence and arson as some of the causes of fires during the festive season.
Phola Park committee chairperson Teenage Mthiyane said the incident happened at about 1.30am.
Mthiyane said the neighbours of the dead woman claimed the fire started at her shack.
“People tried rescuing her but couldn’t due to overwhelming flames.
She was trapped inside because the fire started near the door where there is a locked burglar (security gate). The flames spread fast to other homes due to the wind,” said Mthiyane.
“What happened is heartbreaking. Not only did most people lose everything but a family lost a loved one. Residents will come back from their holidays to find no home. People lost their documents including IDs and certificates.
“People also lost clothes and food. Some parents had already bought school stationery and uniforms which are all gone now.
“Some people are unemployed and those who are employed but will be paid at the end of January have to use their little grant money to buy a few things for their homes and prepare the children for school.”
He lauded the fire and rescue teams’ swift response, saying more structures could have burnt to the ground if it wasn’t for them.
A total of 12 firefighting appliances and more than 50 staff battled the blaze, which was brought under control at about 6am.
Some residents rebuilt their homes on Monday while others stayed with their families.
The Disaster Risk Management Centre (DRMC) has activated Eskom to restore electricity, Water and Sanitation to attend to damaged infrastructure, and Solid Waste to remove the fire debris.
About the Masiphumelele tragedy, fire and rescue service spokesperson Jermaine Carelse said the bodies of the two men and a woman were found among the debris at about 5am.
“Crews from Kommetjie fire station were the first to be dispatched and from a distance could see the raging flames and immediately called for additional support.
“In total there were six fire engines and three water tankers on the scene and more than 40 staff,” said Carelse.
Police spokesperson Wesley Twigg said Philippi police registered an inquest and the circumstances leading to the incident were under investigation.
Ocean View police have also registered an inquest for further investigation in the Masiphumelele fire.
Humanitarian organisation Gift of the Givers was on the ground in all incidents and handed out hot meals, bottles of water, blankets, mattresses, toiletry packs and baby-care packs to the affected.
DRMC spokesperson Charlotte Powell said their teams conducted assessments after all of the incidents to ascertain the number of persons affected and the type of assistance required.
“DRMC protocol is to activate Sassa and available NGOs to provide humanitarian assistance.
“The provincial Department of Social Development is activated to provide psycho-social support services.
“DRMC also arranges for any other City services required on site to assist with clean-ups or repairs to infrastructure,” said Powell.
“The City’s Fire and Rescue Service and Disaster Risk Management Centre conduct ongoing public education and awareness sessions throughout the year in communities to mitigate the risk of fires,” said Carelse.
To contribute towards Gift of the Givers’ interventions, visit:http://www. giftofthegivers.org/make-a-difference or contact 0800 786 911.
Cape Times