Update: Fire extinguisher explodes – Man killed
"The trauma to his abdomen was so severe that he would never have survived the impact. Shrapnel from the extinguisher also caused trauma to other parts of his body."
Update 9 June: Exploding fire extinguisher kills man
MBOMBELA – An employee of Fire Control Security Services (FCSS) was killed when a fire extinguisher, which he had been attending to, exploded on Friday morning.
The exact cause of the explosion is still under investigation. The incident occurred at FCSS’s offices in Mbombela’s industrial area.
According to Mr Jacques Ainslie of Hi-Tech Medical Services, the man suffered severe abdominal trauma in the impact. “Due to the blasting radius, the extinguisher hit the victim in the stomach,” Ainslie said.
“The trauma to his abdomen was so severe that he would never have survived the impact. Shrapnel from the extinguisher also caused trauma to other parts of his body.” Ainslie said the man was already dead when the medical team arrived.
The extinguisher was supplied to FCSS by Safequip, a supplier of assorted firefighting equipment. Safequip’s manager, Mr Frikkie Stroh, said the matter was being investigated by the SAPS and the Department of Labour. He was on his way to Mbombela yesterday morning to aid in the investigation.
Capt Dawie Pretorius, spokesman for Mbombela SAPS, confirmed that an inquest docket had been opened to determine the circumstances which caused the man’s death. He would not disclose the deceased’s identity.
Mr Philip Marais, spokesman for FCSS, said they could not comment any further on the matter due to its sensitivity and because the incident was still under investigation. “All I can say is that this is a very tragic incident.
“All our employees are like family, so this was like losing a family member.”
6 June: Fire extinguisher explodes – man killed
MBOMBELA – An employee of Fire Control Security Services died on Friday morning after a fire extinguisher exploded while he was handling it. According to Hi-Tech Medical Services the man suffered severe abdominal trauma. He apparently wanted to refill the extinguisher.
The owner of Fire Control Security Services did not want to comment on the incident. Read the full story in Tuesday’s Lowvelder.
