2023 Johannesburg building fire
The fire started early in the morning on 31 August 2023, in the Central Business District. It was at a five-story abandoned building on the corner of Delvers and Albert Streets that is owned by the city government and was taken over by gangs. It was being illegally occupied by as many as 400 impoverished people. Many of them were foreign nationals, economic migrants, and asylum seekers. The gangs were charging the illegal occupants rent. The cause of the fire is not currently known. It spread through the building and trapped many people. Many were trapped because of the weak partitions and gates between makeshift rooms made by residents.