By Nonhlanhla Nozizwe Hlatshwayo 
Jul 8, 2021
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DURBAN – A man died and hundreds of residents have been left homeless as a result of a fire at the Cato Manor informal settlement.
KwaZulu-Natal police spokesperson Thembeka Mbele, said the fire started around 9am on Thursday in the Cato Crest informal settlement, and over two hundred shacks were burnt.
“An unidentified man was burnt beyond recognition. The circumstances surrounding the incident are being investigated,” she said.
The Mercury attended the scene shortly after the fire broke out and found residents standing outside their houses with their clothes and furniture as firefighters attended to the blaze.
A community member whose shack was burnt, said she was outside when two of her kids alerted her to the fire.
“I got to the house and quickly rushed to get my children out. I left everything inside the shack, our IDs and all our belongings were left inside. I came outside with just myself and kids,” she said.
Another victim who was carrying her toddler on her back, said she was preparing to feed her two-year-old when she saw smoke.
“The smoke started building up and I quickly grabbed my child and grabbed something to keep him warm as it is cold outside. The father of my child is a vendor and he left early in the morning. I do not have any means to let him know what happened because I left everything behind,” she said.
Ward 101 councillor Mzi Ngiba who was present at the scene, said they were still assessing the situation.
“We are looking to get relief for the people who are affected, there is a hall that we will use to accommodate people while we try and find help for them, he said.
The eThekwini Fire Department said the cause of the fire was unknown at this point.
THE MERCURY