GROUNDUPMore than 600 people left homeless after fire tears through MasiphumeleleBy Ashraf Hendricks

Living Hope organisation calls for donations of essential items to help victims, many of whom were left homeless and without basic necessities.

A fire tore through homes in Masiphumelele, Cape Town, on Tuesday afternoon, 20 January 2026, leaving more than 600 people homeless.

The community erupted in chaos after the fire broke out. Many people jumped on the roofs of shacks to pass buckets of water to try to contain the fire.

When GroundUp arrived at 8.20pm, the fire had been contained and people were already sorting through what remained of their burnt belongings. Many were carrying bags of clothes or lugging what furniture they could salvage through the narrow pathways.

Resident Lubabalo Vellem said he was at work when he saw the fire on social media. He jumped on a train immediately, but by the time he arrived he had lost everything.

In 2015, a fire in Masiphumelele affected more than a thousand people. Vellem said he also lost his home and belongings in that fire. He had spent the last few years recouping his losses, only to lose everything again.

A teenager and her sister were among the people who gathered near the fire engines last night.

“We don’t even have clothes to wear. We are homeless now.”

She said she had watched as the wind blew the fire towards their houses.

“We’re so sad,” she said. Her family spent the night at her aunt’s house down the street.

According to Jermaine Carelse from the Fire and Rescue Services, about 40 firefighters and three helicopters were dispatched to fight the blaze. The fire was contained after 7pm. No serious injuries or fatalities were reported.

Candice Thomas, the spokesperson for Living Hope, which is assisting fire victims, estimated that more than 600 people had been affected and more than 100 homes gutted.