Johannesburg fire leaves hundreds homeless

A fire tore through a Johannesburg settlement on Tuesday, destroying some 1500 homes, according to local authorities. Residents believe the blaze was caused by a paraffin stove exploding.

"I managed to remove all my belongings and most of my property was not destroyed. I sympathise with other community members because as you can see most people no longer have a place to stay. Everything of theirs is destroyed," Kevin Jones, a resident of the area, said.

Puseletso Koetje, another resident, said, "I received a call whilst at work that there's a fire here and we came running. The men in the community tried to extinguish the blaze but failed due to the fire being too strong. There were gas cylinders which made the fire burn out of control."

Many of the houses were constructed from plastic, wood and corrugated iron.

According to local authorities , disaster management teams will distribute food parcels and other essentials to victims.