Nearly 500 people, the majority of them children, have been left homeless after a devastating fire tore through the Quarry Road informal settlement in Durban on Thursday morning.
Emergency response teams from the Departments of Health, Social Development and Human Settlements have been deployed to assist affected residents. Authorities confirmed that 477 people were displaced after approximately 130 shacks were destroyed in the blaze.
KwaZulu-Natal Human Settlements spokesperson Ndabezinhle Sibiya said initial investigations indicate the fire started in a rented shack. He noted that nearly 300 of those displaced are children, highlighting the severe impact on vulnerable members of the community.
Sibiya warned that officials are preparing for a difficult winter season, with increasing risks facing informal settlements.
“The MEC has activated a roving team comprising officials from Human Settlements and national government to support municipalities. While summer often brings floods, we are now experiencing cold conditions and fires that are devastating communities. In eThekwini alone, more than 20 fires have already been reported,” he said.
Private security company Marshall Security was among the first responders on the scene. Spokesperson Andreas Mathios said teams were alerted shortly after 9:30am.
“I arrived on scene and it was devastating. The shacks were fully alight, and the community was in disarray. Residents were running onto the freeway trying to get help from passing motorists,” said Mathios.
Although no injuries or fatalities were reported at the time, dozens of structures were destroyed, leaving many residents destitute.
Mathios described scenes of families gathered along the roadside with their remaining belongings.
“There are people standing next to the freeway, completely displaced. It’s heartbreaking to think they will spend the long weekend on the side of the road. There are mothers with children and men who rushed back from work trying to salvage whatever they could,” he said.
Authorities continue to assess the damage and provide relief to those affected.