A ward councillor is seeking help from the community in assisting nine families whose homes burnt to the ground on Wednesday morning.
Just after 9am, residents in Jacaranda Avenue in Uitsig scrambled to fight a fire that had ripped through nine structures, leaving 49 people destitute.
The City’s Fire and Rescue Services spokesman, Theo Layne, says the cause of the fire is still undetermined.
“The City’s Fire and Rescue Services responded to a fire in Jacaranda Avenue at 9.07am. The cause of the fire is undetermined at this stage and 14 firefighters responded to the scene. There were no reports of any injuries.”
Ward councillor in the area, Beverly van Reenen, says she is trying to assist the families where she can and has put them up in the local community hall for the time being.
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“The fire affects everybody, especially the affected families. It is the start of the school year, which will directly impact on their lives,” she says.
“They lost everything and didn’t even have food to feed their children.
“My heart goes out to the little ones and the sickly, but I am aware that our communities will once again heed our call for assistance.
“Although I assisted the families with clothing, bedding and the like, these remain insufficient to carry them through these trying times and therefore we call on everyone to reach out to these people,” Van Reenen says.
If you would like to assist the families, drop off donations at the community hall in Hibiscus Street.