Makeshift heater believed to be behind Dakota fire
KZN Disaster Management says a makeshift heater could be behind the fire that gutted part of an informal settlement in the south of Durban.
Just over 100 homes were destroyed after the blaze broke out at the Dakota Informal Settlement in Isipingo on Tuesday morning.
Firefighters worked for hours to contain it.
Although no one was injured, over 200 people have been displaced.
KZN Cooperative Governance spokesperson Senzo Mzila says while the cause of the fire is still under investigation, it is believed that a brazier or umbawula could have caused it.
"The KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Reverend Thulasizwe Buthelezi, has deployed disaster response teams, under the Provincial Disaster Management Centre, to address informal settlement fires in the eThekwini metro.
“The most recent incident occurred this morning at 4 am in Dakota informal settlement, where dwellings were destroyed by a fire. Disaster response teams were dispatched to combat the blaze and prevent further damage."
Mzila says the departments of Human Settlements, Social Development, and Home Affairs have been activated to provide assistance.
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