Fire destroys 30 shacks in Umhlanga informal settlement

A devastating fire engulfed 30 homes in an informal settlement in Umhlanga, located north of Durban, on Monday. Firefighters were on the scene, working tirelessly to extinguish the flames, while community leaders assessed the extent of the damage at the Blackburn Informal Settlement near Cornubia. According to DA eThekwini Ward 102 councillor Rory Macpherson, the shacks were completely destroyed, leaving the residents without any possessions.

He estimated that there were around 5,000 shacks in the settlement. Upon his arrival at the scene, Macpherson was met with twisted metal and the remnants of people's homes. "We do not know the cause of the fire yet. The families lost everything: furniture, clothing, and the shelter over their heads," he stated. The municipality's disaster management team assured Macpherson that a team would arrive to conduct an assessment.

The affected residents may be temporarily housed in a nearby community center. A concerning aspect of the situation was that the area had been without a water supply for seven days. Macpherson noted that three tankers were at the scene, having to fill up their tanks at a hydrant four kilometers away. He praised the eThekwini fire service, acknowledging their heroic efforts in difficult circumstances due to the lack of water.

Macpherson suggested that residents of informal settlements should be trained in firefighting, and volunteers should be equipped to fight fires. The municipality highlighted that the Fire Services Directorate has a Public Information, Education, and Relations (PIER) program, which aims to visit all 112 wards within the eThekwini municipal area to develop community outreach programs focused on fire awareness, primarily targeting vulnerable groups such as informal settlements, early childhood development centers, schools, and churches.