Two die, four injured in Johannesburg building fire
Two people were killed and four were injured when fire engulfed a residential building in Johannesburg early on Sunday, city officials said, adding that search and rescue operations were still underway.
“The fire operation continues at the two-storey building that was engulfed with flames earlier this morning,” the City of Johannesburg Emergency Management Services said in a statement.
A spokesperson for the city’s emergency management services told television channel eNCA it was unclear how many people were still trapped inside the building.
An investigation into the cause of the fire will be undertaken once firefighting operations have been completed, officials said.
In August of last year, a devastating fire swept through a five-storey building in Johannesburg, South Africa, resulting in the tragic loss of more than 70 lives. This incident brought to light the critical issue of fire safety and the need for better regulations and enforcement in older, poorly maintained buildings.
The fire broke out in a run-down building, which housed a number of informal businesses and living spaces. The structure, unfortunately, was not equipped with proper fire safety measures, such as fire exits, sprinkler systems, or smoke alarms. This lack of essential safety features contributed to the high number of fatalities and injuries.
In the aftermath of the tragedy, local authorities and fire safety experts conducted thorough investigations to determine the cause of the fire and to assess the building’s structural integrity. They found that the fire had started in a ground-floor shop, likely due to an electrical fault or an unattended cooking incident. The flames quickly spread to the upper floors, fueled by the building’s poor construction and lack of fire-resistant materials.
The Johannesburg tragedy has sparked a broader conversation about the importance of fire safety in older buildings and the need for stricter regulations. Advocates for better fire safety measures argue that such regulations would save lives and reduce the number of injuries in similar incidents.
With reports from Reuters
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