At least 74 people died when a fire ripped through a multi-story building in Johannesburg that had been overtaken by homeless people, emergency services said.
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More than 60 people were injured in the blaze that broke out in the predawn hours. Spokesman Robert Mulaudzi said another said the death toll was likely to still increase in what he described as effectively “an informal settlement.”
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“Over 20 years in the service, I’ve never come across something like this,” Mulaudzi said.
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Firefighters stand next to covered bodies of victims at the scene of a deadly blaze, in Johannesburg.
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Firefighters work at the scene of a deadly blaze in the early hours of the morning, in Johannesburg.
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A search and recovery operation was underway and firefighters were moving through the building, Mulaudzi said.
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Authorities said the fire had been largely extinguished, but smoke still seeped out of windows of the blackened building downtown.
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Strings of sheets and other materials also hung out of some windows. It was not clear if people had used those to try and escape the fire or if they were trying to save their possessions.
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Local residents gather on the scene of a deadly blaze in downtown Johannesburg.
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Mulaudzi said homeless people had moved into the building without any formal lease agreements. He said that made it hard to search the building.
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There might have been as many as 200 people living in the building, witnesses said.
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Firefighters walk at the scene of a deadly blaze, in Johannesburg.
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Smoke billows out of a building at the sceen of a fire in Johannesburg.
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