A weekend of devastating fires has left multiple families dead and hundreds homeless across the Western Cape, with humanitarian organisation Gift of the Givers responding to four major incidents in less than 24 hours.

Teams were on site on Monday at the Siyalahla Informal Settlement in Langa, where deeply emotional scenes unfolded as the bodies of four family members were recovered. Among them was a young mother and her three children, burnt beyond recognition. Forensic services arrived only hours later to begin their investigation.

Gift of the Givers said its teams are continuing assessments while providing immediate humanitarian support to traumatised residents.

This tragedy follows a series of fires over the weekend in Nomzamo, Gugulethu and Klapmuts, stretching emergency and relief efforts. The first incident was reported late on Sunday afternoon in Klapmuts, where one person died.

Shortly after, a blaze in Gugulethu left around 80 people homeless.

As strong winds surged later that night, a major fire swept through Nomzamo in Strand, destroying more than 100 structures and leaving hundreds stranded. One fatality has been confirmed and three other people have been hospitalised.

Gift of the Givers has activated a full-scale humanitarian response, deploying additional resources to the hardest-hit areas and supporting affected families with relief supplies.

The organisation says its teams remain on the ground across all impacted communities as assessments continue and urgent needs are prioritised.

IOL

Source link