Watch: Homes destroyed in Angelo despite brave rescue efforts
Ekurhuleni Emergency Services spokesperson William Ntladi confirmed one of the firefighters were threatened.
More than 30 shacks burnt down in Angelo informal settlement near the railway line station, just after 7.30am on September 5.
Scores of families were left shattered as they watched their homes destroyed by a raging fire which destroyed their furniture, clothes and other personal belongings.
According to residents, the fire started in one of the shacks, and with the wind blowing, it quickly spread to other nearby shacks.
Firefighters responded to the fire. They tried to put out the blaze of the informal settlement. They managed to stop it from spreading to other areas.
Ncamisile Bengu said she went to work in the early hours of the morning, and everything was fine.
“I got a shock of my life when a neighbour called me to tell me that my shack had burnt down. I immediately took a taxi back home, but unfortunately, it was too late.
“I have lost everything, my television, my expensive iPad, my kitchen unit, clothes and more.”
Another affected resident, Hilda Moela, said she lost all her belongings in the fire. What’s worse is that her child who is in Grade 10 had her school books destroyed in the blaze.
On Sunday, September 2, my child was borrowed a church keyboard to practice during the week because, on Friday, September 7, we have a night prayer. But now the keyboard also caught fire, I don’t know what to do.”
One resident, Eric Masangwani, could not hold back his tears. He said he felt broken because all the belongings he worked for all his life had been destroyed in one day.
“I had an R10 000 sound system, a television, a generator, identity documents and our children’s birth certificates. All were destroyed.
“I am at loss for words because my heart is so hurt because of what I witnessed today.”
Simon Mathibe and his friend, who are neighbours, were deemed heroes by their neighbours. They helped save their neighbours’ belongings, beds and furniture, from being destroyed by fire.
“We tried opening the tap to pour water into the buckets, but the water was too slow. I decided to go inside the shacks and save some of the peoples’ belongings because I saw that the fire was too strong, and was spreading quickly to other shacks.”
After the firefighters put out the blaze, the smell of smoke hung in the air while the tiny yards of their homes were littered with burnt stoves, couches, clothes. Corrugated iron lay hopelessly on the ground.
Residents expressed their disappointment with the metro’s fire department’s late response to the incident. They said they phoned them immediately after the start of the fire, but the firefighters took long to arrive.
Ekurhuleni Emergency Services spokesperson William Ntladi said on arrival they found multiple shacks being on fire.
“Fire spread fast because of the influence of the wind but it was contained.”
“One of the challenges we faced was that on arrival firefighters were threatened. The residents interfered with the operations by telling them what to do and what not to do.
“They also pulled horse pipes out of the fire engine. This has become a daily issue.”
“Disaster management officials arrived on the scene to assist those affected with relevant relief aids.”
No injuries were reported, and the cause of the fire is undetermined at this stage.
Residents said they will sleep at a church building nearby.
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