Johannesburg - Tragedy struck at the hijacked Florence Nightingale building in Hillbrow, where a fire broke out on Wednesday in which two minors, aged 5 and 7, lost their lives.
Joburg mayor Kabelo Gwamanda rushed to the building on Wednesday evening, saying that this property had been at the centre of the City’s efforts to reclaim hijacked buildings from illegal occupants and crime syndicates.
“The conditions of the structures do not meet the health and safety standards of the city, and as a result, the illegal occupants are at an increased risk of fires and other safety disasters given the non-existent occupational safety standards in the buildings," he said.
Gwamanda said that on behalf of the City and council, he extended their sympathies to the families of the two minors who died in this incident and wished to assure them that the City would make a concerted effort to provide them with as much support as may be required and possible within its mandates.
According to the mayor, the building is illegally occupied, and over the years, multiple visits have been made by Joburg mayors, Gauteng premiers, and city managers.
“There have been multiple conversations at multiple levels in the city about how this building is a firetrap and a disaster waiting to happen.”
“People deserve to live in buildings that are safe and fit for human habitation,” the Wits Reproductive Health and HIV Research Institute said. It has invited the mayor and City manager to a meeting.
Gwamanda, who commended the firefighters for their efforts in containing and extinguishing the fire, said the City was working with relevant government departments to assist affected residents.
Kgomosto Booi, who spoke to The Star, said that the fire started where the deceased children were staying. He said that he tried to assist in carrying water and pouring it inside the flat.
“The firefighters came late; they came after an hour when the fire had increased. The electricity wire was also burning. It was two o’clock . Everything was burning,” he said.
He said that he knew the children from when the pair were young. One of them, he said, was 7 years old, and the other was 5 years old.
Booi said he even tried to break a window, but to no avail.
“As I was pouring water, it created a bigger flame. I took a stone and tried to break through, but it proved unsuccessful,” he said.
The cause of the fire is still unknown.
City of Joburg Emergency Management Services (EMS) confirmed the deaths of two children following this incident, which has sent shock waves across the city after reports indicated that the children were burnt beyond recognition.
EMS spokesperson Xolile Khumalo reported that the children were apparently locked inside their flat when the fire broke out.
“At around 14:38, EMS firefighters responded to a structural fire incident at Florence Nightingale flats in Hillbrow. The fire started on the first floor, where two rooms caught fire and escalated to the second floor. No other injuries were reported,” said Khumalo.
The Star