Fire causes extensive damage

BURGERSFORT – An eyewitness, Allen Ludick, was travelling past the building when he noticed men running out the building. When he saw fire coming out of the building he immediately contacted Tallies Havenga, owner of Midas.

The fire brigade was notified by numerous individuals as soon as smoke began to rise. The brigade from Burgersfort and Jane Furse responded to the calls.
Several other trucks with water as well as Talisman drove back and forth to fetch water to refill the fire trucks.

The roof was slowly tumbling in and and explosions were heard from the back of the burning shop.
The main concern for firefighters was to secure the two buildings flanking the shop.
Midas on the left and Lewis on the far right suffered severe heat and fire damage.

A friend of Havenga, who is an expert in Proto training, explained to the paper why Midas was not severely affected by the fire. According to him the smoke caused the air-con fans to start running and this drew hot air out, melting the fans but saving the building.

By 22:00 Monday the fire was extinguished.
Materials were still smouldering and canisters exploding. However, this did not stop looters from grabbing whatever they could carry. Some individuals even walked barefoot over hot materials to get their hands on goods.
The cause of the fire is uncertain and information in a report to be made public by the fire departments will shed some light on the incident.

Leani Havenga, Tallies’ wife, expressed her sadness regarding the lack of police services during the event. She explained how they were being robbed in the midst of all the chaos and that no police attended to the scene after being called numerous times.

Steelburger/Lydenburg News spoke to the spokesman of the SAPS Burgersfort, Const Victoria Mamoleka, under the supervision of Brig Risimati Robert Mamoleke, station commander.
According to Mamoleka there were officers at the scene since Monday morning to make sure people were safe. They constantly monitored the situation and the area was patrolled in shifts. She stated that no foul play is suspected and an inquiry has been opened, pending an investigation if needed. The Burgersfort Fire Station did not want to comment.

Leani and Tallies from Midas would like to thank everyone who helped them during the incident. It is impossible for them to name everyone without leaving someone out at this stage. They will thank everyone personally as soon as everything starts to get back to normal.
Midas relocated to a new shop in Morone Complex next to Bradlows.