Sunday, July 20, 2008

Thousand lose homes in shack fire

A fire that swept through the Masiphumelele informal settlement on Friday destroyed more than 250 shacks, displacing about 1 000 people.

Local volunteers said they had to rush many residents out of their shacks because they wanted to stay on and save their belongings.

One volunteer said a group of men even picked up an entire small shack and carried it away.

The fire, which started around noon, was brought under control after an hour and firefighters then started dampening down the area.

No one was injured or killed in the blaze and residents were moved to the Masiphumelele community hall.

Disaster Risk Management are providing blankets, hot meals and alternative shelter.

- Weekend Argus

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