A hearth tore via a constructing in downtown Johannesburg early Thursday morning, killing a minimum of 58 folks and injuring dozens of others, metropolis officers stated.
The authorities have been nonetheless making an attempt to find out what induced the blaze, which consumed a five-story deserted constructing that had been overtaken by squatters and had grow to be a sprawling casual settlement.
Mgcini Tshwaku, a Johannesburg metropolis councilman who oversees public security, stated that when he arrived on the scene, the construction was in flames and folks have been leaping out of it. It is considered one of many dilapidated buildings in town the place folks with out locations to remain have taken up residence, Mr. Tshwaku stated in an interview on ENCA, a South African tv information station.
People usually gentle fires inside these casual settlements to maintain heat, Mr. Tshwaku stated. Many deserted buildings in town have been taken over due to a scarcity of reasonably priced housing, he stated.
This is a creating story.