Hundred of people have been left displaced after a fire ripped through an informal settlement in Philippi early on Sunday morning.
The City’s Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson, Jermaine Carelse, says they were alerted to a fire at around 2.45am in Mvubu Road, Philippi.
No injuries or fatalities were reported.
Carelse says: “A total of 13 firefighting resources were on scene with over 40 firefighters battling the blaze that was fanned by a very strong wind.
The fire was contained and extinguished by 8.40am.
Carelse said that initial estimates were that over 100 shacks were destroyed, leaving over 400 mense homeless.
The cause of the fire is unknown at this stage.
Disaster relief organisation Gift of the Givers (GOTG) were on scene on Sunday to carry out assessments after receiving a call from community leaders requesting help.
GOTG project manager, Ali Sablay, said of the fire at the Mangaung Informal Settlement in Philippi East: “So far, it’s total carnage. As the fire department left, residents started going back into the informal settlement trying to scratch through the rubble to see what they could save but everything was completely burnt out.
“All credit is due to the City of Cape Town fire services who under a challenging situation prevented a much bigger disaster.”
GOTG teams provided the affected families with hot meals and further humanitarian aid will be rendered today.
Meanwhile, GOTG has also commenced its mass packing of food to be distributed across the Western Cape throughout Ramadaan.
On Saturday, tonnes of ingredients were packed by volunteers at the GOTG Logistics Centre, that will be taken to a number of organisations and mosques who will be distributing food.