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Tuesday 7 February 2012
GUTTED: A dog looks at the space where his home used to be.
Photo: Lillian Amos
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LOST: A brick path that once led to a home, has no purpose anymore.
Sixty left homeless after blaze LILLIAN AMOS
A BLACKENED spot of sand and burnt rubble was all that remained in the middle of the informal settlement of Overcome Heights, after 60 people lost their homes in a fire on Wednesday, 8 February. According to Fawzia Cassiem, Overcome Heights Committee Chairperson, the fire allegedly started after a man left his gas stove burning when he left for work on the day. “The fire started at about 14:30, five hours after he left and by then it was too late to do anything about it.” Theo Layne, Station Commander of City of Cape Town’s Fire & Rescue Services, confirmed this and said the fire took 28 firefighters one-and-half hours to extinguish. “It was started by a gas cooking stove that probably fell over or overheated.” Fortunately there were no fatalities and no one was injured in the blaze, but emotional residents say they don’t know how to start again, because they lost every possession they ever had.
“I have nothing, I lost from where their home everything in this fire, once stood. all I have are the clothes Russia Kapu was siton my back”, says ting in his yard when he Mzukisi Ntsantsa, one saw smoke billowing of the homeless resifrom the shack where dents. the fire started. Lufefe Mzobosehe, “Me and my friend who lived in one of the were just sitting and shacks that burnt talking when we saw the down, was still trying to fire. We immediately clean up the area when went to investigate. People’s Post visited the When we discovered scene on Thursday. that there was no one in Mzoboshe was at the shack, we tried to work when the fire kick the door down.” started and was Eventually the men shocked by what he saw realised they had to when he got home. “I break the lock to get into was totally blown away. SWEPT AWAY: A boy sweeps up the home. You leave your house in the rubble that was left after he “We took a brick and the morning, but when and his family were left homeless. hit the lock until it you come back from broke, but the shack work you see this. It saddened me.” was already engulfed in flames. All we The young man was living with his girl- could do was to warn other people and try friend and 1-year-old baby but luckily nei- and save our own homes.” ther of them were at home at the time. By then, neighbouring owners of the Now the family of three sleeps at a fami- burning shack started to get their things ly member’s home just a few meters away together, but according to them, thieves
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saw this as an opportunity to strike. One woman says her television set along with some blankets and other household goods were stolen after being saved from the fire. The City’s disaster response teams were on the scene and provided the affected victims with food, blankets, clothing and building material. Most of those affected have been taken in by family and friends until they can get material to rebuild their homes. In total, 10 shacks burnt down and about 5 were damaged. Ward Councillor Shaun August says spacing at the informal settlement has always been a problem. “People don't adhere to the ‘3 meter’ distance there is suppose to be between each home. When a fire starts, it easily spreads.” According to August, they are currently working on an upgrading system. “We are looking into making things better for people living in this community, like fixing water problems, toilets and just providing better services. We need the community to work with us in order to make their living conditions better. It’s going to take some time but I believe we will get there.”
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