Exploding geyser flies through roof of Rhodesfield flats
No one was injured but four cars were towed away, one of which is damaged beyond repair
A Rhodes Court tenant is lucky to have escaped without harm when a geyser exploded and went flying through the roof of his flat on Wednesday night.
Witnesses and other tenants said the man, who lives at number 26 at the complex on Mosquito Street in Rhodesfield, was sleeping on his couch in the living room at the time of the incident, which was between 11pm and midnight.
According to residents, who asked to remain anonymous, the geysers at the complex are situated on top of the toilets in the bathrooms. “So the poor guy would’ve been in a lot of s**t if he was in his bathroom at the time, luckily he was in another room,” one resident said.
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Michael Fasen, who owns a towing company, said the damage was so bad it looked like a bomb exploded. “It’s hard to believe a geyser caused all that damage,” Fasen said.
Fasen said his company towed away four damaged cars, one of which, a silver Renault Megane, was damaged beyond repair. A wall of the unit fell onto the cars, most of it onto the Renault. The roof of the flat, which is on the first floor, was left completely open.
The cause of the explosion has not yet been confirmed and is subject to investigations. The forensics team and explosions unit from Kempton SAPS were on the scene, as well as the fire brigade. But luckily, there was no fire.
The caretaker at the complex said the explosion caused severe damage to the property.
“The police were here to do their investigations last night but they still haven’t determined what the cause was. They left this morning at about 3.30am. The insurance company also needs to come and do their assessments before they can confirm what caused the accident,” the caretaker said.
