The City’s Fire and Rescue has confirmed that the bodies of two people were found in the fire that broke out at the Joe Slovo Informal Settlement in Milnerton just before midnight on Tuesday.
According to spokesperson Jermaine Carelse, the Fire and Rescue Service teams received numerous calls of structures alight in Freedom Way, Joe Slovo. Carelse says the first arriving Officer assessed the situation and called on additional resources to combat the blaze.
“In total we had 10 firefighting resources on scene, with nearly 50 staff members.”
By 06:10, Firefighters reportedly managed to extinguish the fire, which, based on initial estimates, destroyed 45 structures. Carelse, however, added that this total is yet to be confirmed by the Disaster Risk Management Centre.
Carelse says the gender and ages of the two persons whose bodies were found are still unknown.
The cause of the incident is still unknown pending an investigation by the South African Police Service.
Humanitarian aid organisation, the Gift of the Givers, says its team members were awakened by frantic community leaders at 5:30 AM on Wednesday morning, calling for aid to affected community members.
Organisation’s spokesperson Ali Sablay says its teams are on the ground to provide basic necessities to the fire victims.
READ MORE: UPDATE: Firefighting operations scaled back, hotspots being monitored
