Panic as fire guts ‘overcrowded’ flats
PANIC broke out early yesterday when a raging fire swept through a Korsten building which housed several families and was believed to be overcrowded, leaving it gutted.
The blaze broke out shortly before 7.30am when several occupants of the double-storey building on the corner of Durban Road and Jackson Street ran into the road as flames ripped through the building
There were initial fears that residents were trapped inside, but all the occupants managed to escape.
Police and officials on the scene said the building was occupied by several families, mostly from Somalia.
By mid-afternoon, officials and building inspectors had begun investigating. The top floor of the building – mostly residential flats – was gutted, while four shops on the ground floor suffered less damage.
Firefighters continued with damping-down operations as a search team went through the building amid fears that some residents were missing.
However, all were eventually accounted for.
Panicked residents who escaped ran around attempting to locate friends and family, and turning to officials for assistance.
Within hours of the fire’s being extinguished, a building inspector launched a probe into how many people were living in the flats.
Police spokesman Warrant Officer Alwin Labans said three people had been reported missing but had later been found.
“People looking for loved ones turned to us after not finding them.
“Firefighters formed a search team and combed the building, but confirmed that no one was inside,” he said.
“By 9.30am we ascertained that all [the] people were accounted for. The fire is believed to have started in one of the ground-floor shops.
“However, we [await] the full [fire investigation] report.”
Labans confirmed that detectives were now investigating the building’s occupancy certificate and possible overcrowding.
“Detectives are working with the relevant authorities to determine how many people were inside the building and what their legal restrictions were.
“The fire department, police and building inspectors are all involved with the investigation.”
Metro EMS operations manager Ashwell Botha confirmed that no injuries had been reported at the fire.
Municipal spokesman Mthubanzi Mniki said the top floor of the building had been destroyed. The cause of the blaze was not yet certain.
Mniki said the building inspector and the fire safety division had already launched probes into overcrowding as well as the fire.
Asked how many people lived in the building, Mniki said the owner was not sure as crucial documents had been destroyed in the fire.
He said overcrowding increased the risk of loss of life. “A forum was established to address this issue.”