WATCH | 200 shacks in Alexandra destroyed in fire, leaving 50 families homeless | News24

• 200 shacks burned down in Wynburg, Alexandra, on Thursday night displacing about 50 families.
• Johannesburg mayor Geoff Makhubo, said they were looking at what relief they could give to families.
• Residents say they have lost all their belongings, including vital documents.

200 shacks in Wynburg, Alexandra, Johannesburg, were destroyed in a fire that raged through the settlement on Thursday night, displacing at least 50 families.

One resident spoke to News24, saying the fire started above his house and soon engulfed his home, burning everything except the clothes he was wearing at the time.

It is unclear how the fire started or if anyone was injured. 

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As some residents took their spades and hammers to try and rebuild their homes with materials that had not been destroyed in the fire, others spoke to law enforcement, saying vital documents had perished.

They said they wanted to be relocated, however, many were foreign nationals or did not have documents.

Johannesburg executive mayor Geoff Makhubo toured the area on Friday as residents tried to rebuild their houses amid charred remnants, still smoking from the fire, and debris.

Makhubo unveiled a plot of land to be used to house relocated residents from congested Covid-19 hotspots.

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He said temporary relief would be given to residents for now, including shelter for the night, food and help with getting new identity documents.

“Beyond that is to look at what short-term measures we can do in the area,” he added.

News24 previously reported that 50 families had been left homeless after the fire.