A man died and 200 shacks were destroyed when a fire broke out at the Cato Manor informal settlement on Thursday. Picture: Nqobile Mbonambi/African News Agency (ANA)
Durban ward councillor Mzi Ngiba has expressed concern over the number of fires the Cato Manor informal dwellers have experienced this year after another fire broke out on Thursday.
In Thursday’s fire, a man was killed and over 200 shacks were burnt.
KwaZulu-Natal police spokesperson, Thembeka Mbele said the fire in the Cato Crest informal settlement started at about 9am .
“An unidentified man was burnt beyond recognition. The circumstances surrounding the incident are being investigated,” Mbele said.
Netcare 911 said their paramedics responded to a structural fire.
“When medics arrived on scene a large portion of the homes were well alight with residents scrambling to save whatever possessions they could,” said Netcare 911 spokesperson Shawn Herbst.
The Mercury arrived at the scene shortly after the fire broke out and found residents standing outside their houses, with their clothes and other belongings they had managed to save, as firefighters attended to the blaze.
Ngiba said fires in the informal settlement were common at this time of the year.
“The most recent fire was caused by an illegal connection which was about a month ago. This fire was the ninth or tenth incident this year, but it appears to be the worst,” Ngiba said.
He suggested that the fires could be due to illegal connections as people were using a lot more electricity for heaters and stoves during winter to keep themselves warm.
“With the illegal connections all over, it then sparks the fire,” he said.
A community member whose shack was burnt, said she was outside when her children alerted her to the fire.
“I got to the house and quickly rushed to get my children out. I left everything inside the shack, our IDs and all our belongings were left inside. I came outside with just myself and kids,” she said.
Another victim, who was carrying her toddler on her back, said she was preparing to feed her 2-year-old when she saw smoke.
“The smoke started building up and I quickly grabbed my child and grabbed something to keep him warm as it is cold outside. The father of my child is a vendor and he left early in the morning. I do not have any means to let him know what happened because I left everything behind,” she said.
Ngiba said they were compiling a list of the victims so they could assist them.
“We are also trying to get building materials for them so they can rebuild as there are no means to get them houses at this point. We are also appealing to people to donate food and clothes to the people who are in need.”
The eThekwini fire department said the cause of the fire was not known as at yesterday.
The Mercury
