Inquiry into Marshalltown building fire begins

JOHANNESBURG - Horrific details have emerged of the moments when emergency services struggled to rescue residents of the Usindiso building in Marshalltown.

The commission of inquiry into the blaze started its work on Thursday, almost three months after 77 people lost their lives in the hijacked building in the Johannesburg inner city.

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Rapulane Monageng, the acting chief of emergency services, was the first witness at the commission.

He said almost every corner of the building had been converted into living space using wooden structures and, in some instances, shacks.

Lucas Tiphe was one of the first EMS personnel to arrive on the scene.

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He detailed how one of the tenants, a mother, was desperately asking to use his fire extinguisher to rescue her child.

Tiphe continues his testimony on Friday with the commission expecting to complete its work within six months. 

* eNCA’s Aviwe Mtila filed this report.