‘What I saw of Joburg blaze’

The Citizen photographer Refilwe Modise’s eyewitness account of yesterday’s fire:

“Employees of the Gauteng departments of health and human settlement try to contain their shock as they stand behind the yellow and blue police tape, occasionally lifting it to make room for ambulances rushing their colleagues to nearby hospitals for medical attention.

“A designated fire marshall, one of the several who led workers safely out of the burning building, gives instructions over a bull horn for staff to head to the assembly point at the nearby library gardens for roll call.

“A few hundred metres away, glass and debris fall from above, landing near the covered body of a firefighter who slipped and fell to his death.

“His helmet and rocks hold down the silver foil covering his body.

“A police helicopter circles the burning building before making its first attempt at rescuing staff on the roof.

“EMS workers hear of a woman who was taken to Luthuli House after she collapsed due to smoke inhalation.”