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One person dead, hundreds displaced by Hout Bay fire

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One person died in the devastating fire (Cape of Good Hope SPCA)
One person died in the devastating fire (Cape of Good Hope SPCA)
Cape of Good Hope SPCA
  • The community of Imizamo Yethu in Hout Bay was hit with yet another fire. 
  • One person died, and hundreds have been displaced. 
  • In the meantime, disaster management workers, and volunteers, were helping residents. 


One person died as yet another fire ripped through parts of Imizamo Yethu in Hout Bay.

The City of Cape Town's emergency services said they received a call for help on Saturday night that informal structures were burning.

The densely populated settlement is built on a steep hill and frequently experiences devastating fires. 

The latest fire was contained at about 03:00 on Sunday, and was eventually extinguished at around 07:00. 

One body was discovered, and at the time of the statement, no information was known about the person's identity.

The fire displaced many residents, and disaster relief group Gift of the Givers stepped in to help. 

The organisation's spokesperson Ali Sablay said teams were on the ground with City of Cape Town disaster management, where the registration of people affected by the disaster was under way. 

Hout Bay blaze
Cape of Good Hope Inspector Lwazi Ntungele rescues a cat to be reunited with its person after the fire in Imizamo Yethu (Cape of Good Hope SPCA)

Sablay said about 100 structures are estimated to have been burnt, leaving at least 400 people displaced. 

The charity was going to take hot meals, blankets and mattresses to the people. 

The Cape of Good Hope SPCA said its inspectors were searching for injured and misplaced animals. 

Hout BaybBlaze
(Cape of Good Hope SPCA)

"Our Inspectorate searched the area to make sure that no animal is left behind. Assisting those that are injured or displaced. Several animals were attended to by our inspectorate staff," said an update on their Facebook page.

"Hundreds of people lost everything...  We do not only care about animals, but also their owners. We would like to assist the people of Imizamo Yethu that were affected by this devastating fire," the SPCA added. 



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