More than 200 families from Selby informal settlement affected by fire
On Monday night, hundreds of people scrambled for their personal belongings as their homes burnt down one after the other.
More than 200 families from the Selby informal settlement, near Booysens, were affected by a fire that broke out in the area on 27 January 2025. Picture: Thandoluhle Ngcobo/EWN
JOHANNESBURG - More than 200 families from the Selby informal settlement, near Booysens, have been affected by a fire that broke out in the area.
On Monday, the Johannesburg emergency services contained a blaze that destroyed more than 300 shacks in the informal settlement.
The city’s EMS said it's not clear how the fire started.
On Monday night, hundreds of people scrambled for their personal belongings as their homes burnt down one after the other.
It is understood that just two months ago residents suffered the same fate.
Joburg’s EMS spokesperson Robert Mulaudzi explained why the area was a high fire risk.
"Most of the residents who are here, they're using your traditional heating devices, some, they're using paraffin stoves, you know, candles and so on. You might actually have a risk of illegal connections and so on, so the risk of a fire incident in the area like this will be much more higher."
Various non-profit organisations have arrived to assist those left destitute by the blaze.
Residents are trying to salvage the last of their belongings after a fire engulfed hundreds of shacks. pic.twitter.com/q1l5Lqxjx6
— EWN Reporter (@ewnreporter) January 27, 2025
Watch: Joburg EMS spokesperson Robert Mulaudzi says they have managed to contain the fire. TN pic.twitter.com/86EEhNvPWO
— EWN Reporter (@ewnreporter) January 27, 2025