A fire which broke out on Sunday night has gutted about 100 shack dwellings in the Imizamo Yethu settlement in Hout Bay, leaving 350 people homeless. Last year, a fire broke out in the same township leaving 15 000 people without homes.
It was considered one of the worst fires the city has seen – 4 500 structures were razed and three people died.
On Monday morning, firefighters were still trying to extinguish the blaze.
A resident of Imizamo Yethu said she woke up at 2am to noises and shouting, wondering if someone was being attacked, they rushed to see what was happening.
“We heard noises in the early parts of the morning, we went outside to see what was happening and there was just smoke. The fire was scary. People have lost all their things. These things keep happening in the area. This morning when I left for work, they were still putting out the fire,” said the woman.
@Laphumaikhwezi Hout Bay, Imizamo Yethu is ravaged by fire once again. Fire Fighters still struggling to extinguish it. My prayers are with all those affected families this morning. pic.twitter.com/CXZnsKNium
— Peoples Councillor (@thulanidasa) February 12, 2018
On Sunday the South African Weather Service (SAWS) issued a warning of dangerous fire conditions for the Cape region as temperatures continue to soar.
Picture: Justin Sullivan
