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A shack fire in Boksburg’s Delmore informal settlement killed a man in his 60s and damaged ten shacks, with the blaze driven by strong winds and flammable structures.
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Firefighters struggled to access the site due to narrow roads and low-hanging, illegal electrical cables, but successfully contained the fire before it spread further.
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The cause of the fire is still under investigation, while the incident highlights ongoing fire safety challenges in South Africa’s informal settlements.
An elderly man tragically lost his life in a devastating shack fire that broke out in the Delmore informal settlement in Boksburg, Gauteng, late on Wednesday night, May 21, 2025.
The shack fire, which erupted just before midnight, consumed multiple structures and posed a severe threat to the surrounding community.
According to William Ntladi, spokesperson for the City of Ekurhuleni Emergency Services, the incident was reported around 11:00 PM, prompting an immediate response from local fire crews. “The primary responding team of firefighters from Primrose fire station rapidly responded to the scene,” he said. “They were backed up by those from Bedfordview, Germiston and Edenvale fire stations. The backup was activated due to the risk assessment conducted on the scene, with high possibilities of involving the entire informal settlement.”
Fueled by strong winds and highly flammable building materials, the flames spread rapidly across the densely packed area.
Sowetanlive reports that emergency services dispatched a team of 21 firefighters who engaged the shack fire using two attack lines, a strategy commonly employed in informal settlement fires due to their unpredictable and fast-moving nature.
Narrow roads and illegal electrical connections hamper rescue efforts
“Flames were successfully extinguished before gaining momentum to spread to other shacks,” Ntladi explained. Despite the firefighters’ swift and coordinated actions, ten shacks were damaged. One adult male, believed to be in his 60s, was discovered deceased beneath the debris, his body severely burned.
Efforts to contain the blaze were complicated by the poor infrastructure within the informal settlement. “Fire engines couldn’t get close to the scene due to narrow roads and self-connected overhead electrical cables which were not high enough to accommodate the size of fire engines,” Ntladi added.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation. However, similar incidents in South African informal settlements are often linked to unsafe heating methods, faulty electrical setups, or unattended open flames such as candles and paraffin stoves.
This latest tragedy adds to a worrying trend across Gauteng and beyond, where informal housing conditions and lack of fire safety infrastructure contribute to recurring deadly fires. Just days ago, four children died in a house fire in Mayfair, Johannesburg, while a separate incident in Bloemspruit last month claimed the lives of a mother and her two young children.
In response to the increasing number of fire-related deaths, calls have been growing for improved fire safety education, greater access to municipal services, and the formalisation of informal settlements to allow for better infrastructure development, including proper roads and regulated electricity supply.
As the community mourns the loss of life and property, authorities are urging residents to take precautionary measures and report fire hazards immediately. Counseling services have been made available to affected families, and disaster relief teams are working to support those who lost their homes.
