Reuters
An inquiry into a fire that killed 77 people in Johannesburg last year blamed neglect by authorities for allowing a building to become a den for guns, murder, drugs and combustible trash, and failing to evacuate it once it was clear it was a hazard. South Africa opened the inquiry last October to determine responsibility for the blaze on Aug. 31 last year in the rundown centre of its commercial hub. A spokesperson for the City of Johannesburg did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but in the full report, which Reuters reviewed, the justices said the city "acknowledges that it failed to comply with the applicable laws".