South Africa begins an inquiry into a building fire that killed 76 people in Johannesburg in August

By GERALD IMRAY
Associated Press

CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — An inquiry has opened into an apartment building fire that killed at least 76 people in South Africa in August and laid bare the deep problems of poverty and neglect in parts of Africa’s richest city. The nighttime blaze swept through a five-story building in the Marshalltown district of Johannesburg and trapped many of the hundreds of people who were living there in badly overcrowded conditions. Johannesburg Emergency Services acting chief Rapulane Monageng gave the first testimony of the inquiry and said there were no fire extunguishers in the building and people were living in crammed conditions.