| According to the City's Disaster Risk Management, seven people died and about 700 people were left homeless in fires around the Peninsula this weekend. |
The woman is believed to be in her 60s, while two of her grandchildren were 15 and 18. The third grandchild, believed to be disabled, was in his 20s.
The fire started at about 3am on Tuesday morning and left fire fighters battling to contain the blaze in heavy winds .
Platoon commander Theo Layne said that in this morning's fire, between 80 and 100 wood and iron shacks had been destroyed in the blaze.
He said the wind played a big part in fanning the flames.
By 6am the fire had been contained but at 8am there were still 15 fire vehicles damping down the area.
By 9am, police had cordoned off the area where the woman and her three grandchildren lived but had not yet removed their bodies.
Although fire officials could not confirm where the fire started this morning, residents said the fire had started in the woman's house.
Residents said the woman was known to brew traditional beer on a fire outside her shack.
Standing nearby, clutching a burnt Bible, a visibly distraught Xoliswa Nkukhwana said she had woken up to the sound of people screaming at her to vacate her shack.
"It was very windy this morning and this is what may have driven the fire so quickly," she said.
On Tuesday morning, while fire fighters were damping down the area, people were standing despondently on the streets of KTC's NY78.
Some had managed to salvage their belongings before the fire reached their homes but others were left with only the clothing they were wearing.
Constance Nkukhwana said: "I only managed to get my children out of the shack. But I have lost everything I owned. "
Siviwe Nzilikazi, 14, said: "I have lost my home, my belongings, my school uniform and books.
"What am I going to do when school reopens?"
Police spokesperson Senior Superintendent Billy Jones said the identities of the dead would not be revealed until their next of kin had been informed.
He said the first priority was to accommodate the people who had lost their homes.
On Sunday a child died in a shack fire in Hazendal near Athlone. Ten people also lost their homes.
Meanwhile, about 15 homes in Sweet Home, Philippi, were gutted, leaving 50 residents homeless on Sunday.
Also on Sunday, in Freedom Farm near Valhalla Park, another five houses were destroyed, leaving 24 people without homes.
About 80 people were left homeless when a fire gutted their homes in Phola Park, Philippi, destroying 29 shacks on Sunday.
Meanwhile, in Simon's Town on Tuesday morning, fire fighters were still struggling to access mountainous terrain above the Simon's Town Naval base in Dido Valley.
Although the fire had been contained by10pm last night, fire officials were still damping it down early this morning.
Last night three helicopters, seven fire engines and six water tankers were sent to contain the fire.
No injuries were reported and no structures or buildings were threatened. - Cape Argus
No comments:
Post a Comment