Johannesburg fire: photos and interviews with an eye witness and rescuer
Death toll now 73 and expected to rise
By Ihsaan Haffejee
31 August 2023
The bodies of victims of a fire in a Johannesburg building were laid out on the street.
Over 70 people died in a fire in a building on the corner of Albert and Delvers streets in the centre of Johannesburg on Wednesday night/Thursday morning.
The problem of overcrowded, unsafe, “dark” buildings in Johannesburg has been with us for decades. Here is an article from 2021: Immigrants tough it out in Joburg’s “dark buildings”. That a fire like this would eventually happen was predictable.
This video contains interviews with eyewitness Thando Manzini, a student who lives in the opposite building, and Floyd Brink, Johannesburg City Manager. Video: Ihsaan Haffejee
Emergency personnel at the burnt out building on Thursday morning