The fire broke out in a five-story building in the Johannesburg suburb of Marshalltown in the early hours of Thursday and might have been caused by an illegal connection to the power grid, media reported. Johannesburg Mayor Kabelo Gwamanda said that the building was intended for a non-profit organization that helped homeless women but was misused due to "unforeseen circumstances."
On Thursday, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa expressed his condolences to the families of the deceased and described the incident as a "great tragedy." The South African leader said that he hoped the investigation into the causes of the fire would help to prevent such incidents in the future.