Plastic View community reeling after deadly fire kills teenager

A 13-year-old girl has died following a blaze at Plastic View informal settlement in Tshwane.

During search and recovery operations, firefighters discovered the teenager’s body at the location where the fire is believed to have started.

The girl’s parents and a younger sister sustained burn injuries and were taken to a local hospital for treatment.

The incident marks the second fire in the area this week, with the latest blaze gutting at least 100 homes and displacing 340 residents.

Tshwane Emergency Services (TEMS) spokesperson, Nana Radebe-Kgiba, says the fire may have been caused by a leaking gas cylinder.

While some residents are trying to rebuild following the deadly blaze, others say they are considering relocating.

One resident recalled his ordeal.

“Just on Sunday last week, around 6 am we had fire in that other section of the community. I used to stay there then after the fire caught we moved in that room there so after we moved from that side I came here and the fire caught again,” said the resident.

He has also pleaded for assistance after loosing most of his belongings.

“What we are pleading from the municipality is to help the community to build some brick houses. The house which was built with brick in this community was not affected by the fire because of how it was built. So if they could allow people to build houses from bricks it will be better because it will protect us from fire. Another thing we are pleading for is for the municipality to build us big water pipes within the community so that we can use to put out fire in case another one happens,” he added.

Some non-governmental organisations (NGOs) say they have been conducting relief efforts within the community since the previous fire, distributing food parcels, clothing, blankets and mattresses among other things.

The Mhalasedi Foundation says today has been particularly difficult as many homes have been completely destroyed, leaving residents with no space to prepare meals.

Some children in the area have reportedly stayed away from school after the initial blaze due to a lack of school uniforms.

Meanwhile Tshwane Emergency Services spokesperson, Nana Radebe-Kgiba says several government department have been approached to assist with relief efforts.

“We have just had a meeting with the city’s departments. this is your Human settlements Department and Social development Department. We are coordinating efforts to ensure that the displaced will get the assistance that they require. we are looking at giving them mattresses. We are also talking to NGOs to also ensure that the affected families get a meal before they sleep today.”

The department says some community members are attempting to rebuild their houses urgently, fearing they may loose their allocated space in the area.

Radebe-Kgiba says its public education teams have been to the area to raise awareness on safe use of heating devices.

“We have been in this area with our Public Education and Information Unit to educate the community on what to do in terms of using paraffin stoves, candles and other heating devices, because some residents leave candles unattended, similar to how last week’s fire allegedly started. We are teaching them how to use these heating devices more safely.”

A 13-year-old died in the multiple shack fire that engulfed Plastic View Informal Settlement on Thursday night. A hundred shacks were destroyed by the blaze. @CityTshwane https://t.co/Im4YA6KCVo pic.twitter.com/Yyfs2Vs9yl

— Dr Nasiphi Moya (@nasiphim) May 29, 2026

Written by: Odirile Rabalao