KFC fire: deep fryer responsible for the blaze
The store will be closed for some time
THE KFC outlet on Elgin Road in Birchleigh will be closed for an undisclosed amount of time after a fire ravaged the take-away premises on Sunday afternoon.
Fire engines from Kempton Park, Edenvale and Tembisa were on site to extinguish the fire.
According to William Ntladi, Ekurhuleni emergency services spokesman, the fire started in one of the deep fryers with an oil capacity of 9,2 litres at around 2pm.
“On arrival, the structure was well alight but our firefighters contained and extinguished the blaze without much further damage,” said Ntladi.
He said prior to the arrival of the firefighters, staff members tried to extinguish the blaze but it got out of hand.
“Part of the roof and deep fryers were damaged. The rest of the structure and kitchen equipment suffered smoke and water damage,” said Ntladi.
According to Doug Smart, managing director of KFC Africa, the company is working with authorities to assess the damage and determine the next steps.
None of the staff on duty nor customers were injured during the fire. “We had four customers in the restaurant at the time of the incident. No customer or team member was hurt,” Smart added.
“Our team members are very important to us. We are working with them through the process and will provide them with compensation. As part of the process, we are working to redeploy them where it’s possible. No employee will lose income as a result of this incident,” said Smart.
According to Smart, all KFC employees are trained to handle emergency situations like this. “Our team members go through a global training process, including safety standards and steps to be followed.
“All our KFC team members are trained in fire safety and measures to be taken in the event of a fire. We also have a trained fire marshal on each shift across all restaurants, which number over 800.”
