Four people have died and more than 200 people were displaced after a fire engulfed a three-story building in Jeppestown, South African authorities said.
The incident took place on Sunday morning. Authorities say the building was occupied by undocumented people and that three injured persons have been taken to hospital.
Johannesburg Mayor Dada Morero says action will be taken to deal with hijacked buildings.
“The building is an abandoned building, there is a lot of partitions and sheet metals, which the residents have been using to divide the building.
“This area where we are is actually an industrial site, so they actually divide it with those partitions, using those sheet metals to divide the whole building, so that they can be able to reside. So, the building is not a residential area, but it’s an abandoned building,” Morero said.
'Never habitable'
City of Johannesburg Emergency Management Services spokesperson Robert Mulaudzi says the building was never habitable and that illegal connections are suspected to be the cause of the blaze.
One resident told South Africa’s government media, SABC, she has nowhere to go.
“We are not supposed to be living here, but the cost of living is too high…Our electricity is indeed illegal.
"The power cables are above our heads when we are sleeping. The electricity here is not safe at all. We are just living here so that we can go to work and send money home to the children.”
Ongoing investigation
Mayor Morero says the building owner has been identified and is under investigation.
“We now know that it’s owned by a particular company, so we are continuing to finalise the investigation so that we can get the owners to take responsibility of their own property and what has happened into their property, whilst of course, the city has an obligation to deal with the current situation and the situation therefore after.”
Morero says those affected will be moved to a temporary shelter.
The incident comes less than a year after the Usindiso Johannesburg building fire which killed 77 people and left more than 150 people displaced.
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