Fire sparks fear of imminent disaster
Some locals feel that Saturday's fire at Obaro in town could have had disastrous consequences for the whole community.
MALALANE – Some locals feel that Saturday’s fire at Obaro in town could have had disastrous consequences for the whole community.
On Saturday afternoon Corridor Gazette received a circulating BBM, warning residents to stay away from streets near or leading to Obaro. “This fire could have been catastrophic.
I was the first volunteer on the scene and the fire could not be contained due to various factors. If the diesel tanker and the 200 gas bottles had gone up in flames, the town would have been in serious danger.
I decided to evacuate the people and police, as no one else realised the seriousness of the situation,” said Mr André van Niekerk.
There are speculations that a cooking fire on the sidewalk could have caused the blaze. The Obaro warehouse is situated behind the main shop but not connected to the store.
On Monday morning Corridor Gazette learnt from a reliable source that the happenings around Obaro prior to the incident, were recorded on security cameras. The footage showed two men cooking on an open fire before the building caught alight. It seemed as though the men might have left without extinguishing it.
The wind gusted and blew cinders onto the pallets and at about 13:00 they caught fire and set alight pipes leading to the storeroom. Obaro Malalane branch manager, Mr Brandon Miller said, “This is what we presume happened. We cannot reveal much until the police have completed their investigation.” Miller was unable to estimate the extent of the damage. On Monday morning, however, it was business as usual.
Community members rushed to the scene on Saturday to assist in extinguishing the blaze, while they waited for the municipal fire brigade to arrive. Miller thanked everyone who came to assist.
Spokesman for Nkomazi Local Municipality, Mr Cyril Ripinga said, “The fire brigade was attending to another incident in Block B at the time it was reported.
They rushed to Obaro afterwards. We have records to back this up.” Spokesman for the local SAPS, Sgt Bheki Nkosi, said, “In cases as these we call upon the services of an expert to establish the cause of the fire. Once it has been confirmed, we can decide whether to open a case of arson. We have heard reports of two men sitting near a fire before the building started to burn. However, we have not received an official statement regarding this. We are investigating these allegations.”
