Sniffer dogs search for clues in ashes of deadly South African fire

A view of damaged buildings in the aftermath of a deadly fire in Johannesburg, South Africa, September 1, 2023. REUTERS/Shafiek Tassiem

JOHANNESBURG -Police with sniffer dogs searched through the gutted remains of a Johannesburg apartment block on Friday, as authorities stepped up investigations into the cause of a fire that killed more than 70 people.

Officers used razor wire to cordon off areas around the run-down five-storey building that was destroyed in a blaze in the early hours of Thursday in one of South Africa's worst such disasters in living memory.