By Razeile Joyce P. Aban
On August 31, 2023, a fire broke out in a building in Johannesburg, South Africa. The fire started on the ground floor of the building but the cause of the fire is unknown. According to NPR News, the fire has killed around 74 people, including 12 children, and left at least 88 survivors out of the 200 families who live there. Some people were burnt beyond recognition. Many people lost their family members along with their possessions in the fire.
“After fire-fighters extinguished the blaze, forensics teams collected remains, with white body bags laid out in the street in neat rows. Desperate family members searched for loved ones, while survivors huddled with the sparse belongings they’d rescued — blankets, a boombox.” (npr.org).
When the fire started, people rushed to get out of the building but were unable to because the security gates were locked which left them to jump out of windows. Many witnesses stated seeing people and their family members jumping from the windows and tossing their children out of the window to save them. A New York Times article states that many people died inside the locked gate trying to get out and many people got injured or died from jumping from windows. Condolences and prayers for families who died in the fire.
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