LIMPOPO – A devastating fire ripped through Eden Square Mall in Phalaborwa on Monday morning, March 10, destroying several businesses and leaving the community in shock.

According to an eyewitness, the fire ignited around 06:45, just as power was restored to the town after a prolonged outage. However, emergency services delayed responding due to a shortage of water.

The flames completely gutted Exact, Pick n Pay Food and Liquor Store, and Spec Savers. Several other stores only suffered roof damage. No injuries or fatalities were reported.

Efforts to contain the fire were severely hindered by Phalaborwa’s ongoing water crisis. Eyewitnesses report that the Mopani fire brigade ran out of water, delaying the emergency response.

Residents say that firefighters had to fetch water before tackling the blaze despite the fire station being located right next to the mall. Fortunately, additional support came from the South African National Defence Force (SANDF), Palabora Mining Company (PMC), Foskor, and other private businesses, which helped to bring the fire under control.

“We called firefighters, and some people even ran straight to the fire station across the street, but they delayed because there was no water. If there had been enough water, this fire would not have caused such destruction,” said a source.

In addition, many locals expressed frustration with the municipality, claiming that inadequate preparedness had led to unnecessary losses.

The locals also claimed that the firefighters from the municipality were incompetent. The cause of the fire remains unknown, and authorities are still investigating. However, residents suggest a possible link between power restoration and the fire outbreak.

The town had been without electricity for two days, and an electrical cable was being repaired at the mall. The town also experiences several days without water.

The source that was at the mall stated that the fire began at Exact’s paypoints just after the power was restored.

“A man was passing by when he saw the fire and called for help at around 06:45. I quickly ran, and when I looked through the window of Exact, I saw flames coming from the paypoints just as the power came back on. No one was inside the store at the time. If there had been water at the mall, the fire would have been contained, and we would have used fire hydrants before it got out of control. Everything burnt to ashes in the shops. However, everyone who was at the mall managed to evacuate,” the source revealed.

“It is heartbreaking to see some of the shops in flames while we are next to a fire station. The municipality has failed us. Now people are going to lose their jobs,” said the source.

Meanwhile, the Democratic Alliance (DA) has vowed to hold the Mopani District Municipality and Ba-Phalaborwa Local Municipality accountable for the fire. The DA provincial leader and disaster management spokesperson, Lindy Wilson, criticised the government’s failure to maintain adequate fire hydrants, drawing parallels to a September 2023 veld fire that destroyed 12 houses and a lodge.

“This tragedy follows the devastating September 2023 veld fire that started on municipal land. Then, as now, fire hydrants were either dry or ineffective. The only reason the situation did not escalate further was the swift intervention of businesses and civil society stepping in where the government had failed,” said Wilson.

Despite widespread criticism, Ba-Phalaborwa Municipality defended its response in a statement made by its communications department, stating that its disaster management teams arrived within 10 minutes of the fire breaking out.

Moreover, the Ba-Phalaborwa Municipality Mayor Merriam Malatji, convened a meeting with the Mopani District Mayor Pule Shayi, the disaster management teams, and Eden Square Mall management to receive a comprehensive briefing on the situation and assess the damage.

Shayi expressed his appreciation for the swift and decisive action taken by the Ba-Phalaborwa Municipality Disaster Management team and all assisting stakeholders.

Ba-Phalaborwa Municipality spokesperson Jonas Mahesu told the Herald that the municipality “had a challenge with electricity due to a cable fault but electricity was restored on Monday morning. The Mopani District Disaster Management is investigating the cause of the fire.”

Mopani District Municipality spokesperson Odas Ngobeni could not be reached for comment at the time of print on Tuesday.