A REPORT investigating the cause of a fire at a police pound on Blundell Road was presented to the eThekwini Executive Committee on Tuesday, 24 November. Over 100 vehicles, which were to be auctioned, were burned in the fire at the vehicle pound in June. The investigation concluded that no foul play was suspected.
Head of communications for the municipality, Tozi Mthethwa, said the report suggested that the fire started from outside and spread into the pound. “The fire originated from an undetermined source of ignition on a private property, which is situated approximately 150 metres from where the vehicles were held. The fire spread along a path of combustible vegetation on the pound site,” she said.
“This in turn led to the ignition of combustible components on vehicle components, ultimately leading to the damage of 100 vehicles,” the report stated.
There were factors that contributed to the spread of fire and damage, including the strong winds experienced on the day, a delay in reporting the fire, site topography of vehicles situated closely together and vehicles with flammable fuel.
The report recommended that the Fire Brigade should be the first to be notified in the case of a fire, that a non-combustible barrier wall be built to prevent fires from outside the site spreading onto the property as well as providing fire hose reels and hydrants on site.
Other suggestions included controlling combustible vegetation in and around the site to prevent or minimise the spread of fire, limiting the amount of fuel in vehicles and ensuring that batteries are disconnected and addressing the spatial arrangement of vehicles in the pound to minimise the spread of fire between vehicles.
City manager Sibusiso Sithole, said unlike the speculation that the fire was caused by a deliberate act of arson at the time, the investigation found otherwise. “Because of heavy winds experienced on the day, the fire spread quickly. Over 100 vehicles that were due to be auctioned were damaged. There are therefore no claims emanating from owners of the vehicles.
“Recommendations for the future will look at where impounded vehicles are kept,” he said.
Mayor, James Nxumalo, said the conditions at pounds were not all safe and that management had to ensure proper maintenance to prevent further occurrences. “These vehicles are assets – we cannot lose so many vehicles in one accident. This is a real eye-opener,” he said.
