Africa-Press – South-Africa. Two children, aged 5 and 7, burnt beyond recognition when a fire broke out at a hijacked building in Hillbrow.
The fire broke out on Wednesday afternoon at the Florence Nightingale Building, said Johannesburg emergency services spokesperson Robert Mulaudzi.
At around 15:00, emergency teams were called to a fire at the building, said Mulaudzi. The children appear to have died from smoke inhalation.
He said their bodies had been “burnt beyond recognition”.
It appears that the children had been “locked inside one of the apartments in the building”, unattended.
Mulaudzi said the cause of the fire was still under investigation.
On Wednesday evening, Johannesburg Mayor Kabelo Gwamanda visited the scene of the fire. He said the fire had caused extensive damage to the building, affecting many residents.
Gwamanda said:
“The conditions of the structures do not meet the health and safety standards of the City. As a result, the illegal occupants are at an increased risk of fires and other safety disasters, given the non-existent occupational safety standards in the buildings,” Gwamanda added.
The City’s disaster management and social development departments are coordinating temporary relief efforts to assist affected residents with basic needs and accommodation, including psychological support, added Gwamanda.
In a statement, the Wits Reproductive Health and HIV Institute (RHI) said that the building had been “condemned and deemed unsafe for human habitation” years ago.
“The history of this goes all the way back to 2006, when Wits RHI first came into the Hillbrow Health Precinct.
Florence Nightingale Building was already illegally occupied and, over the years, multiple visits have been had from Johannesburg mayors, premiers and city managers.
“This building has been condemned and deemed unfit for human habitation. There have been multiple conversations at multiple levels in the City on how this building is a fire trap and a disaster waiting to happen,” the statement said.
Wits RHI said it had repeatedly raised concerns over the invaded buildings and associated health risks because “people deserve to live in buildings that are safe and fit for human habitation”.
Gwamanda said the City’s disaster management staff would compile a detailed report on the causes of the fire, the number of fatalities and the number of displaced people.
“This building was previously declared unfit for habitation but was illegally occupied and hijacked,” said Gwamanda.
“Once more, on behalf of the City and council, we extend our sympathies to the families of the two minors that have passed in this incident, and wish to assure them that the City will make a concerted effort to provide them with as much support as may be required and possible within our mandates.”
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