Firefighters have recovered a body of a woman under the rubble at Urban Village, the Midrand residential complex that was razed by fire on Tuesday night.
Johannesburg Emergency Services Management (EMS) spokesperson Xolile Khumalo said their search and rescue team recovered the body. “The body was submerged under rubble and the roof that had collapsed during the fire,” she said.
“The complex security have shared information that this is where the fire initially begun yesterday night. EMS would like to pass heartfelt condolences to the family.
A 32-year-old man, who saved the lives of other residents from the burning building, said he was on the phone with his girlfriend at around 8.30pm last night when he noticed smoke inside his apartment.
Woman's body recovered from Midrand residential complex gutted by fire
Image: Antonio Muchave
Firefighters have recovered a body of a woman under the rubble at Urban Village, the Midrand residential complex that was razed by fire on Tuesday night.
Johannesburg Emergency Services Management (EMS) spokesperson Xolile Khumalo said their search and rescue team recovered the body. “The body was submerged under rubble and the roof that had collapsed during the fire,” she said.
“The complex security have shared information that this is where the fire initially begun yesterday night. EMS would like to pass heartfelt condolences to the family.
A 32-year-old man, who saved the lives of other residents from the burning building, said he was on the phone with his girlfriend at around 8.30pm last night when he noticed smoke inside his apartment.
Tebogo Seloane said he was sitting on the bed with his earpods on when later realised that security guards were knocking at his door. He could not hear them because of the earpods.
"When I came out [security] said 'listen ntsizwa [young man] there’s smoke coming out of here," he said
Seloane said they [with the security guard] rushed to try and open the neighbour’s door where the smoke was coming from but couldn’t. They then decided to break the window to gain access. “But we realised that we couldn't get someone in to try and open the door because of the smoke. So [we] broke the door by kicking and using the spanner and the door was opened,” he said.
After opening the door for the smoke to come out, Seloane said he then ran to neigbours’ doors, shouting and telling everyone to get out because the alarm had been ringing for a while. “But everyone knew that the alarm would normally ring but it usually means that something you are cooking is [burning] it wouldn't mean there is fire."
The City of Johannesburg is investigating the cause of the fire that gutted a Midrand residential complex late on Tuesday night, leaving people homeless on a cold night and one woman dead.
Seloane said that after they had managed to get people outside some wanted to go back to collect their belongings.
"People were trying to force their way in as they wanted to collect their stuff. They physically pushed me and I pushed back and I said comrades' life is more important than materialistic things," he said.
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