Relief efforts continue in Cape Town following spate of fires

CAPE TOWN -The City of Cape Town says it's assessing the damage of a devastating fire in Langa while the Gift of the Givers provides relief for those affected. 

The Disaster Risk Management Centre (DMRC) officers will conduct a formal assessment on Friday to verify the number of structures destroyed and persons affected in the blaze which roared through Langa on Thursday night. 

It's the latest in a series of shack fires to ravage parts of the Western Cape. 

"Another devastating fire was reported in Langa yesterday evening. The outcomes of the assessment will be submitted to SASSA [South African Social Security Agency] and the national Department of Human Settlements for the purposes of relief efforts," said The City's Disaster Management spokesperson, Sonica Lategan. 

Lategan said relief efforts are underway. 

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"DRMC will also activate and engage with various city departments to clear the site and assist with any additional recovery efforts. DRMC will also call on some of its other NGO partners to assist with humanitarian relief," Lategan added.

Meanwhile, relief efforts continue in Du Noon, where families woke up to a fire raging in the Ekuphumleni informal settlement on Christmas morning.

The DMRC said more than 140 structures were destroyed and more than 500 people have been left displaced.

Electrical infrastructure, as well as toilets and taps, have been damaged.

Three churches in the community have opened up their halls to accommodate some of the fire victims.

Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis visited the area on Thursday.