A girl has been confirmed dead in the cottage fire that broke out in Imizamo Yethu in Hout Bay on Monday, the City of Cape Town's fire services spokesperson Theo Layne said.

"She was found inside one of the structures," said Layne.

The call for help came in shortly after noon and four water tankers were also sent to assist.

After the fire was put out, it was found that between 10 to 15 shacks were destroyed and over 40 people left without shelter.

Layne said the city's disaster management team would take over to assist them.

In the meantime, no more information could be released yet about the girl who died, as she still has to be officially identified.

Last year, thousands of Imizamo Yethu residents had to be offered emergency shelter after a blaze that devastated many of the homes built on a slope in Hout Bay.

Cape Town is currently in the grip of a rainy cold front, with more than 4 000 homes affected by flooding in informal settlements around the city.