City of Johannesburg Emergency Management Services (EMS) have given an update as to what could have caused the burning of an abandoned building in Jeppestown.
The blaze broke out in the three-storey building in the early hours of Sunday morning, at around past 8am. The EMS spokesperson Robert Mulaudzi confirmed that the fire had been extinguished.
Mulaudzi said the fire may have been caused by illegal electricity connections, as an informal settlement had been erected in the building.
“At this stage, the cause of the fire is believed to be illegal connections, this is an abandoned building, they are using all sorts of material to try and divide this building, using partitions, sheet metals to create space to live so that they can be able to live in buildings like this.”
Four bodies were recovered by firefighters during search and rescue operations. Three more people were treated in nearby hospitals for injuries and smoke inhalation.
Mulaudzi added the building has been handed over to the South African Police Service (SAPS) for further investigation.
Ward Councillor Themba Mkhize, speaking to Newzroom Afrika, said that homeless people moved into the building after finding it vacant.
Last year in August, a fire ripped through the Usindiso Ministries for Women and Children, a five-storey building in the Johannesburg CBD, killing at least 77 people.
This exposed the problem of hijacked buildings in the City of Joburg.
Hijacked, abandoned, dilapidated buildings, and shacks have become home for many families in Gauteng in recent decades as the province is increasingly under threat of overpopulation.
IOL