Johannesburg: More than 60 people have died in a fire that engulfed a five-storey building in central Johannesburg on Thursday, the South African city’s emergency services said. Another 43 were injured, some suffering from smoke inhalation, and were taken for treatment at local hospitals, Emergency Management Services spokesman Robert Mulaudzi said.
The death toll from a raging fire in a five-story building in central Johannesburg has risen to 63, according to the city’s emergency services.
Emergency services and firefighters are working to put out the blaze, public broadcaster SABC reported.
Videos from the scene show huge orange flames engulfing the lower floor of a building, and scores of people who appear to have fled outside.
In a series of tweets shared on X, formerly known as Twitter, emergency services spokesperson Robert Mulaudzi said multiple people were being treated and some had been transported to health care facilities.
It was not immediately clear what caused the blaze, which broke out overnight.
The building, which has been evacuated, is located in a deprived area of what used to be the business district of South Africa’s economic hub, and was used as an informal settlement, Mulaudzi said.
“A lot of people” might have been trapped inside when the fire started, he added, suggesting many in the building may have been squatting illegally.
Fire trucks and ambulances were parked outside the red and white building with burned-out windows, which has been cordoned off by police, as a small crowd of onlookers gathered in the area.
