It is estimated that the fire started around 02:00 and was only completely brought under control 12 hours later.

The fire department of the Nkomazi Local Municipality was quick to arrive at the scene, followed by the Mbombela Fire Department. They successfully prevented the fire from spreading to the rest of the factory at around 05:00.

The night shift employees were evacuated safely.

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The cause of the fire has not been identified yet, but the investigation is still ongoing. There was no clear indication of the value of the sugar lost or the damaged equipment.

“We are still in the early stages of the investigation, but we can confirm that no one was harmed, as everyone was evacuated immediately,” said Stephen Heath, the corporate affairs director for RCL Foods.