Firefighters damp down Midrand complex after massive overnight blaze, confirms Joburg EMS

JOHANNESBURG - There has been a massive fire at a residential complex in Midrand.

Johannesburg Emergency Management Services (EMS) say the blaze occurred on Wednesday night in the building with 130 units.

Most residents have been evacuated safely and at least one was taken to hospital. No fatalities have been reported.

EMS spokesperson Xolile Khumalo said the cause of the fire was yet to be determined.

"The fire on Broadwalk Urban Village has been contained. Firefighters are currently conducting damping down operations and room-by-room searches. No fatalities have been reported so far."

Evacuated residents spent the night at several hotels in Midrand that the building owners organised. The top floor of the Broadwalk Urban Village is the worst affected - with evidence of Tuesday night's fire still visible.

On Wednesday morning, residents could be seen slowly trickling to see the remnants of the gutted units. One of the residents said he was shocked by how quickly the blaze spread. After hearing the fire alarm system, he said he went to check.

"There was smoke, so I called my partner to come out of the flat... shortly we started hearing the ceiling explode... the ceiling was on fire, in a space of less than five minutes," he said adding that he could only salvage his and his partner's phone.

Another resident counted his losses following the inferno: “We need IDs, also school uniforms, luckily it’s school holidays we will manage to get some time to figure those out. But ID, driver's licence, I think if you don’t have those things it’s like you are nothing. Right now it’s like we are pleading.”

While the inferno has been extinguished - residents are eager to access the building and establish how much of their belongings they have lost.