Johannesburg fire: 63 dead, 43 injured in South Africa's abandoned five-storey building

A devastating fire erupted in the central business district of Johannesburg, South Africa's largest city, resulting in a tragic loss of life. The municipal government reported that the incident claimed the lives of a minimum of 63 individuals and caused injuries to 43 others on Thursday.

The city administration, using the platform X (formerly Twitter), communicated that dedicated search and rescue operations were underway to address the situation. Their priority remains on saving lives and providing support to those affected by this catastrophe.

Confirming the toll, the City of Johannesburg Emergency Management Services verified that the number of fatalities has risen to 63, Reuters reported.

Responding swiftly to the crisis, firefighters and emergency response teams were promptly dispatched to the scene. Heart-wrenching visuals captured by Reuters photographers depicted lifeless bodies covered in emergency blankets, lying on a street adjacent to the site of the fire that broke out during the early hours of the morning.

According to media reports, the fire consumed a five-storey building that had been abandoned at some point but had become a dwelling place for homeless individuals. 

The precise cause of the fire remains shrouded in uncertainty, leaving investigators and authorities with the task of unravelling the chain of events that led to this catastrophic incident.

“Over 20 years in the service, I’ve never come across something like this,” Associated Press quoted spokesman Robert Mulaudzi as saying.

A search and recovery operation was underway and firefighters were moving through the building, Mulaudzi said. The team had pulled 58 bodies out so far, he said, adding that more might be trapped inside.

At least one child was among the dead, Mulaudzi said.

Authorities said the fire had been largely extinguished, but smoke still seeped out of windows of the blackened building downtown. Strings of sheets and other materials also hung out of some windows. It was not clear if people had used those to try and escape the fire or if they were trying to save their possessions.

Mulaudzi said homeless people had moved into the building without any formal lease agreements. He said that made it hard to search the building.

There might have been as many as 200 people living in the building, witnesses said.

(With agency inputs)