A day that started out with a general sense of excitement across the country ended in a bitter mood as a fire broke out in Broadwalk Urban Village in Midrand, setting the residential complex.
On the Tuesday of Heritage Day 2024, emergency services received a distress call regarding a fire in Midrand.
Currently, the source of the fire has not been determined, however, the fire department will work closely with the owners of the complex to determine what caused the fire. “The cause of the fire will be investigated as soon as firefighting operations are completed. The city is in talks with the owner of the complex regarding accommodation arrangements,” said the spokesperson for the City of Joburg’s emergency management services (EMS) Xolile Khumalo.
Xolile provided an update, revealing the news of the first fatality, stating that the woman was found in the apartment where the security believed the fire initially started. “The body was submerged under rubble and the roof that had collapsed during the fire,” Xolile said.
She also noted that there were a few individuals who sustained injuries and have been taken to the hospital to receive the required care. Xolile also noted that although they are certain that there are 130 apartments in the complex, the number of residents has not been determined yet, therefore, not all residents have been accounted for.
Multiple videos have circulated on social media, where residents show their apartment building as it burns to almost a crisp.
The whole complex on fire in Midrand??? pic.twitter.com/LQ3j9xoKPV
— Mlungisi Ntshangase (@Mlu__N7) September 24, 2024
According to IOL, families that have been affected by the fire have been relocated to places of safety indefinitely.
Internet users sympathise deeply with those directly affected
