On Monday (8 January) a raging fire left many homeless.
Residents of Princess informal settlement told the Record what had caused the fire.
“The son of a resident was cooking on a gas stove and he did not switch it off after using it. He went out and while he was away, the stove started heating up and burst into flames. The next-door neighbours tried to gain access to the premises but failed because it was locked.
“The flames got bigger, forcing them to move away and helplessly watch their homes burn to aches. By the time the firefighters got there, the damage was already done.”
About 57 dwellings burnt to the ground, although they suspect there might be more, a resident said. No fatalities were reported.
Read the initial article here: Fire destroys shacks in Princess
Disaster Management put up a soup kitchen to hand out food to the residents.
Dorah Mashita, regional manager of Social Development and her team will be helping out by supplying those affected by the blaze with food, clothing, school uniforms and blankets.
Mashita said they will offer free counselling to community members who feel the need for it.
If you would like to help the Princess community, please drop off all donations at the Lions Club of Wilro Park at 16 Belladonna Street, Roodekrans on 13 January from 8.30am to 11am.
The community can assist by donating food, toiletries, clothes, blankets, school stationery and household items. Contact Sandy on 083 564 6388 for more information.
Do you perhaps have more information pertaining to this story? Email us at roodepoortrecord@caxton.co.za (remember to include your contact details) or phone us on 011 955 1130.
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