South Africa: Investigation team faults authorities for deadly Johannesburg building fire
Medics and emergency works at the scene of a deadly blaze in downtown Johannesburg Thursday, Aug. 31, 2023. Dozens died when a fire ripped through a multi-story building in Johannesburg, South Africa's biggest city, emergency services said Thursday. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay)
A panel of inquiry into the fire incident that killed over 70 people in Johannesburg, South Africa, last year blamed negligence by the authorities, including the fire service, for the devastating impacts of the inferno.
An inquiry into the inferno revealed how gangs acquire abandoned public buildings and unlawfully rent them out in the Marshalltown district.
A suspect confessed to lighting the fire to burn off the murder victim, whom he had killed while high on crystal meth.
The August fire broke out in a community known for gunshots, killings, teen sex trafficking, and drug sales.
Following months of investigations, a committee of inquiry into the devastating incident concluded on Sunday that preventive measures may have saved lives.
It went on to say that Johannesburg’s management and emergency services departments had failed the residents who lived in the Usindiso building, the majority of whom were foreign nationals.
It further accused the authorities of failing to remove the dilapidated structure or collect the accumulated trash.
Household fires are widespread in Johannesburg, particularly in poor communities.
Alexandra, one of the poorest areas, has had hundreds of homes destroyed in various fires over the last five years.
