Residents of the Phola Park informal settlement in Philippi on the Cape Flats say they’ve lost everything in a fire that broke out in the area on Thursday.
Initial reports indicate that about 100 structures have been destroyed in a fire that broke out in the Phola Park informal settlement in Philippi on the Cape Flats.
This is the second devastating fire in the area this week. On New Year’s Day, a woman died and more than 700 people were left homeless.
Resident Samkelo Sokweni says he lost everything.
“I only had three minutes to save only my life and managed to grab a couple of documents but I couldn’t get all my stuff so I lost almost everything,” adds Sokweni.
The humanitarian aid organisation, Gift of the Givers, says it will be in the area on Friday to conduct further assessments.
Spokesperson Ali Sablay says their first priority is to distribute humanitarian aid to the victims.
“With the strong winds currently happening, the fire spread quite rapidly but all credit due to the City of Cape Town firefighters who contained the blaze. Our teams are on the ground busy with assessments. So far the estimate from community leaders is more than 100. Once the fire department declares the disaster site safe we will be able to do further assessments,” says Sablay.
VIDEO: Gift of the Givers assists families affected by fire in Du Noon, 2 Jan 2023:
