A fire destroyed a busy five-storey building in central Johannesburg early Thursday, destroying an informal settlement of the homeless in what has been described as one of the deadliest fires in South African history.
Owned by the city, the building once provided emergency housing for women, but had become home to a large squatters’ camp, a sign of the scarcity of affordable housing in South Africa’s most populous city.
These are photos of the scene.
Residents with some of their belongings packed up near the scene of the fire.
Firefighters try to extinguish the fire. Authorities were working to determine the cause of the fire.
A blanket hanging from a window that allowed people to climb out of the building. Residents have described the fear they experience as they are awakened at night by the spreading fire.
Women mourn near the building. Some who fled the blaze said the abandoned site was the only place they could afford in the city.
Spectators watch rescues in the early hours.
The building was one of several places visited by DailyExpertNews journalists in May for a report on the chaotic housing situation in South Africa’s most populous city. Neighbors said conditions there were cramped and dingy.
The settlement, pictured here in May, had become a visible symbol of the city’s struggle to deal with the housing crisis.
