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'I couldn’t save anything' - residents describe Midrand fire that left one dead and hundreds homeless

'I couldn’t save anything' - residents describe Midrand fire that left one dead and hundreds homeless
Residents of Broadwalk Urban Village wait outside the property gates to see what can be salvaged after a fire gutted the residential complex’s first floor. (Photo: Lerato Mutsila)
Lerato Mutsila
By Lerato Mutsila
25 Sep 2024
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A devastating fire at an apartment complex in Midrand, Johannesburg, on Tuesday evening has left a woman dead and rendered hundreds of residents homeless.

Heritage Day ended in tragedy for residents of Broadwalk Urban Village in Midrand, Johannesburg, after a fire raged through the building and gutted the first floor of the complex, affecting 130 units. A woman died in the blaze.

Johannesburg Emergency Services (EMS) spokesperson Xolile Khumalo said the woman’s body was recovered under rubble by EMS personnel in the apartment where the fire started.

midrand fire Residents of Broadwalk Urban Village in Midrand say they are traumatised after losing irreplaceable items in a blaze that tore through the residential property’s first floor on Tuesday, 24 September. (Photo: Lerato Mutsila)



The cause of the fire was still unknown, but the devastation was evident when Daily Maverick visited the scene on Wednesday morning. Residents at the entrance of the property, most still in their pyjamas, were waiting for an EMS official to give them the go-ahead to enter the building.

“When I saw the flames, I was so numb,” said a resident. “All I was thinking was that I needed to get myself and my sister out of the house. There was screaming and what sounded like explosions. I couldn’t think of taking anything, I didn’t even try to take my car. All I was thinking was, ‘I need to get out, my life is more important than anything.’   

“I thought this was something that could be fixed. That’s why I didn’t take anything, but now it’s all probably gone,” said the woman, who asked to be named as Princess.

She said that when the fire alarm initially went off, she paid no attention because it often sounded false alarms.

midrand fire The fire broke out on the first floor of Broadwalk Urban Village in Midrand, displacing hundreds of residents. The property is owned by Mafadi Property Management Specialists. (Photo: Lerato Mutsila)



When she realised there was a real fire, she called the fire service, at 9pm, and firefighters arrived about 30 minutes later.

“I’m disappointed in the fact that they are five minutes away from here but it took them so long to get here. They could have saved a lot of people’s possessions if they arrived quickly,” she said.

The Midrand Fire Station is 2.5km from the apartment complex. When the firefighters arrived, the fire had spread through the entire first floor.

Read more: One dead, 800 homes destroyed as fire rips through Pretoria township

Tired, hungry and traumatised


A resident sitting on the grass outside the building said that he was tired, hungry and traumatised. The man, who had moved to Midrand from Giyani, Limpopo, didn’t know where he was going to sleep because he had no relatives close by and no alternative accommodation.

“I saw my unit, all my things were burnt. Everything happened so fast, I couldn’t save anything. All I had left was the clothes that I was wearing and my car. At least I could save my car,” he said.

The property managers, Mafadi Property Management Specialists, secured accommodation for residents at hotels in the surrounding area on the night of the fire. However, Princess said residents did not know whether the same arrangement would be made on Wednesday evening.

midrand fire Residents of Broadwalk Urban Village wait outside the property gates to see what can be salvaged after a fire gutted the residential complex’s first floor. (Photo: Lerato Mutsila)



“We have nowhere to go. Most of us lost everything. I am from Phalaborwa [in Limpopo]. I can’t just go home — it is very far and I work in Joburg. If I go home, I might lose my job,” said Princess.

Daily Maverick asked the City of Johannesburg whether the metro would assist displaced residents with alternative accommodation, but had not received a response by the time of publication.

A resident who asked not to be named said it took about 90 minutes for the blaze to gut the entire first floor.

“I have lost everything. I do not know what I am going to do, I do not know how I am going to recover,” she said.

“The only reason I am sitting out here is because I want closure. I just want to go inside and see if there is something, anything, that survived,” said another resident. 

Read more: Lest we forget: lessons unlearnt, actions undone one year after the deadly Marshalltown fire

Ongoing investigations


Khumalo said the cause of the fire was being investigated as well as whether the residential complex — a former office park — was compliant with the National Building Standards and Building Regulations  Act.

He said residents of apartment buildings should ensure that a sprinkler system, smoke detectors and heat alarms had been installed in the building.

He did not reply to questions about the length of time it took EMS to respond to the fire. His reply will be added once received.

Mafadi Property Management said, “We would like to convey our heartfelt condolences … We’re also sending our thoughts to those who were injured, which local emergency services have advised include three individuals treated on scene and one transported to the hospital.” 

The company said it was complying with the investigation and doing everything in its power to support the residents, including helping them to find alternative accommodation. DM

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