Three firefighters have died in a blaze which swept through the upper floors of a building in South Africa’s main city, Johannesburg, officials have said.
One firefighter fell to his death while battling the blaze, while the other two were found inside the building.
Thirteen people who worked in the building have been admitted to hospital, officials said.
The fire broke out on the 23rd floor of the building in downtown Johannesburg, and was apparently caused by an electrical fault, the local News24 website reported.
Its correspondent has tweeted a photo of the building.
Several departments of the Gauteng provincial government had offices in the building.
The Gauteng minister for Infrastructure Development‚ Jacob Mamabolo, was at the scene as the firemen battled the blaze, and confirmed the casualties.
The building had not been compliant with “basic” health and safety regulations, he said, News24 reported.
A fireman who runs a private firefighting company, Wynand Engelbrecht, told South Africa’s TimesLive news site that he knew the building well, and it was “a complete fire stack and hazard”.
Source: BBC
