Fire at Cissie Gool House displaces dozens

Emergency accommodation has been arranged in communal halls within Cissie Gool House after a fire ripped through a section of the building, but many families remain without critical supplies, activists said.

A fire was reported at Cissie Gool House, formerly the Woodstock Hospital, in the early hours of Monday morning, displacing dozens of residents.

According to City Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson, Jermaine Carelse, an emergency call was received at 3.35am, reporting the fire at the Mountain Road property in Woodstock.

Fire crews from Roeland Street, Sea Point, Salt River and Milnerton stations were dispatched to the scene.

On arrival, they encountered flames engulfing the first floor, with the fire having broken through the roof. Aerial firefighting equipment had to be deployed to contain the blaze.

“Firefighters managed to extinguish the blaze by 7am,” said Carelse.

“Thankfully, no injuries were reported thanks to the swift response by both residents and emergency personnel.

"A building inspector has been requested to assess whether the structural integrity has been compromised. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.”

GOOD Party councillor Roscoe Palm and community activists say the fire has left close to 50 people without shelter, bedding, or clothing, just as winter begins to bite.

In a statement, Palm condemned what he said was City’s failure to engage with the Cissie Gool House community and blamed the fire's impact on “the continuing refusal to acknowledge and support” the hundreds of families living in the repurposed public hospital.

“This is not the first fire at Cissie Gool House. Residents have long requested fire extinguishers and basic services,” Palm said.

Palm called on authorities to urgently provide trauma relief, blankets, warm clothing, and food for those displaced, especially vulnerable groups such as the elderly, women, and children.

“They are not invisible. They are not ‘hijackers.’ They are residents. Taxpayers. Human beings,” he said.

“Cissie Gool House has become a refuge for those displaced by systemic housing failures and the gentrification of Woodstock. This disaster did not have to happen.”

Reclaim the City, the housing activist movement supporting Cissie Gool House residents, confirmed that the fire was initially contained to one section of the building but flared up again later in the morning.

“We thank those who continue to support this resilient and courageous community,” the movement said in a statement.

Some elderly residents with chronic health conditions now face winter temperatures with no mattresses, blankets, or warm clothing. Cooking gas and household supplies were also lost in the fire.

Reclaim has urgently called for donations.

To arrange donations, contact: Denver Arendse: 067 150 7143 or Elaine Diedericks: 079 728 6513

Cape Times