Boksburg resident dies in blaze, 21 firefighters assembled to limit damage to other shacks

The Herald

22-05-2025

A man in his 60s died in a multiple-shack fire in the Delmore informal settlement, Boksburg, on Wednesday night.
William Ntladi from the City of Ekurhuleni emergency services team said a call was logged at about 11pm.
'The primary responding team of firefighters from Primrose fire station rapidly responded to the scene. They were backed up by those from Bedfordview, Germiston and Edenvale fire stations. The backup was activated due to the risk assessment conducted on the scene, with high possibilities of involving the entire informal settlement.
'The fire was spreading at an alarming speed due to wind.'
A team comprising 21 firefighters used two attack lines to battle the blaze, Ntladi said.
'Flames were successfully extinguished before gaining momentum to spread to other shacks.
'Ten shacks were damaged in the blaze and an adult male was found under the ashes.'
The cause of the blaze is undetermined.
Ntladi said fire engines couldn't get close to the scene due to narrow roads in the settlement and self-connected overhead electrical cables which were not high enough to accommodate the size of fire engines.
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