JOHANNESBURG: A massive pre-dawn fire in a five-storey building mostly occupied by homeless illegal immigrants killed at least 73 persons and injured 52 others in Johannesburg on Thursday, officials said.
Authorities said it was unclear what sparked the blaze at the building occupied by homeless people and squatters in the city centre that displaced several families.
City of Johannesburg emergency services spokesperson Robert Mulaudzi said firefighters were alerted to the fire in a building on the corner of Delvers and Alberts streets around 1.30 am local time.
According to officials, the fire — one of the deadliest in South Africa in recent years — has now been extinguished but several emergency and rescue workers are still on the scene as bodies continue to be brought out.
“We managed to evacuate the people who were inside the building as soon as we arrived while we were conducting firefighting operations,” Mulaudzi said, adding most of those treated for injuries had suffered smoke inhalation or minor injuries.
Mulaudzi said arrangements were being made to accommodate those who had been left homeless by the incident. The fire gutted the five-storey building.
A total of 73 bodies were recovered and 52 were injured in the fire, Mulaudzi said.
Seven children are among the dead, the youngest a one-year-old baby.
A video posted by Mulaudzi on X, formerly known as Twitter, showed fire trucks and ambulances outside the building with burnt-out windows.
Of the injured, some suffered smoke inhalation with others sustaining minor injuries. Mulaudzi said the fire had been contained and that they were busy with “damping down” as well as search and recovery operations.
He said the death toll might increase because there was an informal settlement inside the building which may have resulted in people being trapped while trying to flee.