At least 74 people have been killed in a blaze in a five-story Johannesburg apartment building on Thursday, with tens more being reported as injured.
More than 50 residents have been reported injured, with six being in a serious condition at the hospital according to local officials. At least 12 of those who lost their lives were also children, the youngest of whom was a one year-old.
While authorities have not disclosed a cause for the fire, initial investigations reportedly found that a candle could have initially started the blaze.
The fire has raised new questions about the state of housing in the inner city, especially as people raced to flee the maze of makeshift buildings around the fire, with some reportedly jumping from windows to escape.
Robert Mulaudzi, Spokesperson for Johannesburg’s Emergency Management Services, told reporters that there was an “informal settlement” inside the building, with residents establishing rows of “shacks” on each floor, causing delays for emergency and rescue services.
Johannesburg has been repeatedly cited as one of the world’s most unequal cities, making it unsurprising that a number of old abandoned buildings have been seized by slumlords or organized gangs, who informally rent them to poor people and foreigners.
These buildings often do not have basic amenities such as electricity, or if they do, it can be utilized in a dangerous way. They can also lack safety measures, with the security exit in this latest fire reportedly having been closed.
President Cyril Ramaphosa visited the site on Thursday, describing it as a “great tragedy felt by families whose loved ones perished in this terrible manner.”
“I do hope that the investigations into the fire will … prevent a repeat of such a tragedy,” he said on television. “It’s a wake-up call for us to begin to address the situation of housing in the inner city.”
