By Everson Luhanga
Two people have died in yet another fire in a residential building in the Johannesburg CBD.
Johannesburg Emergency Management Services (EMS) spokesperson Nana Radebe-Kgiba confirmed this on Sunday morning.
Radebe-Kgiba said two people have been found dead as search and rescue operations continue in Commissioner Street.
“One person was rescued from the roof of the building,” she said.
Radebe-Kgiba said the city of Joburg EMS received a call about a residential building fire in Commissioner and Nugget Streets.
Two people jumped from the second floor, and three people were rescued from the balcony.
“The fire operation continues at the two storey building that was engulfed with flames earlier this morning. Four people have been transported to health care facilities for further medical care,” she said.
Radebe-Kgiba said the fire spread very quickly, affecting different levels of the building because of combustible materials.
“EMS will conduct preliminary investigations to determine what caused the fire after fire fighting operations are done.”
Officials suggest that the fire which engulfed the building in the Johannesburg CBD may have been caused by a domestic dispute.
A woman has been arrested and charged with arson.
Joburg City manager Floyd Brink confirmed the arrest.
“One person has been arrested for arson in connection with the fire that broke out earlier this morning”.
Over 160 people have been left destitute and homeless.
This is one of the many fires that have destroyed buildings resulting in loss of life in the Johannesburg inner city.
In September last year, 78 people died when a building in Marshalltown caught fire. More than 1,000 people were displaced.
A commission of inquiry into the circumstances that led to that fire is still underway and is headed by Justice Sisi Khampepe.
Pictured above: A building that caught fire where two people died in Johannesburg CBD on Sunday morning.
Image source: Johannesburg Emergency Management Services (EMS)
