About 400 residents of Site B in Khayelitsha marched to the Lansdowne Fire Department on Monday to protest about its alleged slow response to a weekend fire in which one person died and about 100 shacks were destroyed.
Residents claimed the fire department responded 90 minutes late to the fire, which also left about 500 people homeless on Saturday night.
Wanda Bici, co-ordinator in the Khayelitsha branch for the Social Justice Coalition, which organised the march, said their members in R-R section of Site B had told them about the incident.
He said if the fire fighters had responded to the call in time, the fire might not have destroyed 100 shacks.
Senior operator of the Fire Department, Speedy Smit, told the Cape Argus it usually took fire fighters one to two minutes to respond to a call, but it often took longer at night.
"It also depends on the seriousness of the incidents. The fire fighters might have responded late because they were at the scene of another incident," Smit said.
The name of the person who died in the fire has not yet been released.
Social Justice Coalition organiser Aviwe Mtibe claimed the fire department was called at about 1am and they arrived at 2:10am.
"Two trucks arrived and they wasted time going round the settlement because they could not find a way in because there are no streets in the area," said Mtibe.
Resident Matukiso Lebese said she lost everything and did not know what to do.
- Cape Argus
Residents claimed the fire department responded 90 minutes late to the fire, which also left about 500 people homeless on Saturday night.
Wanda Bici, co-ordinator in the Khayelitsha branch for the Social Justice Coalition, which organised the march, said their members in R-R section of Site B had told them about the incident.
He said if the fire fighters had responded to the call in time, the fire might not have destroyed 100 shacks.
Senior operator of the Fire Department, Speedy Smit, told the Cape Argus it usually took fire fighters one to two minutes to respond to a call, but it often took longer at night.
"It also depends on the seriousness of the incidents. The fire fighters might have responded late because they were at the scene of another incident," Smit said.
The name of the person who died in the fire has not yet been released.
Social Justice Coalition organiser Aviwe Mtibe claimed the fire department was called at about 1am and they arrived at 2:10am.
"Two trucks arrived and they wasted time going round the settlement because they could not find a way in because there are no streets in the area," said Mtibe.
Resident Matukiso Lebese said she lost everything and did not know what to do.
- Cape Argus
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