Sunday, January 20, 2013

Cape Town fires leave 186 homeless

Cape Town - Three fires in Cape Town at the weekend left 186 people without homes, the city said on Sunday.

Disaster risk centre spokesman Wilfred Solomons-Johannes said the fires broke out in Khayelitsha, Kalkfontein and Maitland on Saturday.

A blaze in Kalkfontein around noon damaged five homes and destroyed two backyard dwellings, leaving 31 people homeless.

A woman was treated for smoke inhalation.

Solomons-Johannes said the cause of the fire was being investigated.

Later in the afternoon, a vegetation fire was reported in Garden Village, Maitland.

A granny flat and backyard dwelling were damaged, displacing five people.

On Saturday night, a fire at SST informal settlement in Town Two, Khayelitsha, razed 37 shacks, displacing 150 people.

No casualties were reported.

The city said the fire may have been caused by a cooking device which was left on or by open flames which were not extinguished. 

- Sapa

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