Natasha Prince
19 December 2005
Water-bombing aircraft were used at the Kosovo squatter camp near Philippi to extinguish a fire that destroyed 450 shacks and left some 1 200 people homeless.
Sabastian Martin, divisional officer in charge of operations at the Cape Town fire department, said a call had been received soon after 1pm on Saturday about a blaze at the intersection of Oliver Tambo Drive and the Vanguard Expressway.
"We dispatched five fire-engines, three water-tenders, one rescue vehicle and a mobile command vehicle to the scene," he said.
It took firefighters more than four hours to douse the flames. There were no fatalities and no serious injuries.
"We needed two heli-buckets from two helicopters and two fixed-wing water-bombers to extinguish the fire," said Martin.
Johan Minnie, spokesman for the city's disaster management branch, said the area had been cleared and that housing starter kits would be distributed today.
"The people were moved to the Weltevreden community centre where they are receiving two meals a day and blankets," he said.
Disaster management will provide support for the next three days.
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