By Staff Writer
It was a bleak Easter for hundreds of families across Cape Town as fires ravaged their informal settlements.
The fires occurred on Saturday evening and in the early hours of Sunday morning.
Firefighters in Cape Town have been dealing with four reported fires in the informal settlements of Langa, Mfuleni and DuNoon in Milnerton.
The City of Cape Town’s Fire and Rescue Services spokesperson, Jermaine Carelse, said firefighters were kept on their toes throughout the night.
“The first fire occurred in Langa; the emergency call came in at 07:20, and the last call was at 2:30 this morning for a fire in Mfuleni. There were two fatalities in the Mfuleni incident, and two persons injured, one of whom was transferred to hospital for further treatment.
“And in the second Langa fire, a person was assaulted by members of the public. The circumstances around the assault are not clear.”
Carelse said initial estimates have put the number of destroyed structures at 300.
Humanitarian organisation Gift of the Givers was on the scene at the time of the fire to assist victims.
Spokesperson Ali Sablay said it would be a bleak Easter weekend for families who had lost everything in the fire.
He said volunteers from the organisation would be on the ground to provide humanitarian assistance throughout the day.
Pictured above: Nearly a thousand left destitute in Cape Town fires.
Image source: Gift of the Givers
