Police called in to calm owners as fire engulfs yet another company
No injuries were reported by paramedics
FIRE-FIGHTERS spent several hours extinguishing a fire on Sunday night after yet another factory went up in flames.
This is the third factory to be engulfed by fire in Kempton in just over a week, this time it was a plastic recycling firm on the corner of Lewis and Plane roads in Spartan.
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Ekurhuleni Disaster and Emergency Management Services spokesman, William Ntladi, said Kempton’s fire-fighters swiftly responded to the call which was received at about 8pm. “The Kempton crew was backed up by Boksburg and Tembisa fire crews and by midnight, the fire had been extinguished,” Ntladi confirmed.
“Six major fire engines were used to bring the blaze under control.”
The fire, alleged to have started as a grass fire, was fueled by a strong wind and quickly spread across the company’s premises. A nearby vehicle repairing workshop, as well as eight vehicles, were caught in the fire.
According to Ntladi, the scene was challenging for the emergency services but not because of the raging fire. “The scene didn’t go without challenges as the owners of the properties involved reacted violently among themselves, which subsequently impacted the smooth operation of fire extinguishing activities. The metro police and police had to be called in to restore smooth fire-fighting operations,” Ntladi said.
An articulated truck, a passenger bus and a fleet of other light motor vehicles were saved from the blaze.
ER24’s Chitra Bodasing Harduth said paramedics were on the scene at about 9.30pm but fortunately no injuries were reported.
Investigations to determine the actual cause of the fire will be conducted.
