Three people died following a fire at the Jika Joe informal settlement located near the Pietermaritzburg city centre.
In a statement, the Msunduzi Municipality said emergency services responded to the Jika Joe informal settlement fire, which started at about 11pm on Saturday.
It said the firefighters extinguished the fire, which affected about 23 informal dwellers. They reported that more than 10 shacks were engulfed on the East Street side.
“The fire was attended to and cut out quickly. The rest of the time was spent on damping down. The cause of the fire is suspected to be related to a gas stove; however, the investigations are ongoing.
“The municipality can confirm that 23 structures were totally destroyed and 41 people were affected. Three fatalities have been reported and no injuries,” said the statement.
It said the relief being provided included food supplies, blankets, sponges, clothes, trauma counselling and application for official documentation.
The municipality said Disaster Management officials were working on the beneficiary list, which will then be submitted to district and provincial disaster units. The Departments of Social Development, Home Affairs and Sassa will be engaged to assist the affected people.
Mayor Mzimkhulu Thebolla conveyed his deepest condolences to the families of the fire victims. “Our thoughts are with the bereaved families during this difficult time. We also appeal to all stakeholders to work together to provide necessary assistance to those affected and to ensure that similar incidents do not recur. We further commend our emergency services for the speed in which they responded and attended to the incident,” said Thebolla.
The Mercury