Johannesburg - The Emergency Management Services (EMS) has confirmed the death of four people in two separate shack fire incidents in the City of Joburg early yesterday morning.
The first incident, at Orange Farm, occurred at about 1am and claimed the life of a man after his back-room shack caught fire. In the second shack fire, in Matholesville, a family of three – two adults and a child – lost their lives when their five-bedroom shack caught fire.
EMS spokesperson Robert Mulaudzi cautioned residents to look after all heating devices in use to prevent fires in their homes.
“Four people died in two separate shack fire incidents reported in the City of Joburg in the early hours of this morning. The first fire incident was reported in Orange Farm around 1am this morning, when an adult male lost his life when his backroom shack caught fire.
“In another shack fire incident reported around 3am this morning in Matholesville, a family of three, including two adults and one child, lost their lives when their five-bedroom shack caught fire. In both incidents, no other injuries were reported, and the cause of the fires is still a subject of investigation.
“During these extremely cold temperatures we have been receiving in most parts of the City of Joburg, residents are encouraged to continue to look after all heating devices in use to prevent fire incidents at home,” said Mulaudzi.
The Working on Fire Kishugu JV Gauteng group said it had recorded 80 fires since the start of the winter fire season.
In July, it saw fire calls rising up to 28, with an estimated 1 000 hectares burned in that month.
“In August, there is anticipation of more fires, which will be attended by our firefighters in different bases across the province. Many of the burning permits for the fire breaks expired at the end of July. This means the no smoking period is upon us,” it said.
General manager of Working on Fire Kishugu JV in Gauteng, Stephen Boyes, said that landowners needed to be vigilant as there was a likelihood of even more fires breaking out during August.
“During this time, it is windy, dry, and warm. All our teams are on standby. Our firefighters are up to the task of battling the blazes. Some of them were in Canada battling raging fires recently,” he said.
Boyes said more landowners where their teams were operating had made fire breaks as part of preparing for worst-case scenarios.
Working on Fire Kishugu JV uses the Fire Danger Index as a rating system that provides an indication as to the fire risk for a specific area on a specific day.
The Star