A three-story restaurant and bar in the heart of Pretoria East has temporarily ceased operations after a fire broke out in the early hours of this morning.

There were no casualties or injuries reported at the popular Summit Grill and Skybar restaurant in Garsfontein Road near Menlyn Mall.

Summit Menlyn on fire, Pretoria 😰😰pic.twitter.com/Nc6x4kKDSk

— Gift Makoti (@Gift_Makoti_) September 20, 2023

This was one of several overnight fires in South Africa’s administrative capital.

Tshwane’s MMC for Community Safety, Grandi Theunissen, said in a statement earlier today that apart from responding to around 50 calls about downed trees, powerlines and flooded roads in last night’s storm, the city’s emergency services also responded to several fires.

STATEMENT: City of Tshwane commends emergency services response to last night’s storm. @CityTshwane pic.twitter.com/qOZD5kbjCn

— Mayor Cilliers Brink (@tshwane_mayor) September 20, 2023

He said these included blazes at the Pyramid Substation, the Dorandia and Rooihuiskraai garden refuse sites, the Menlyn restaurant, and another near the Kameeldrift Police Station, which affected a large informal settlement.

The Summit restaurant fire was reported at 04:00, according to Tshwane Emergency Services deputy chief Charles Mabaso.

“Only the second floor, by the deejay booth, caught fire and sustained damage. The ground floor, kitchen, and rooftop were not damaged.”

He says the cause of the fire is unknown and will be investigated.

In a statement on social media, Summit Grill and Skybar confirmed the fire and announced that its doors will be closed until further notice.

Boksburg blaze

In a separate incident, reported on by Boksburg Advertiser, thousands of residents in the northern parts of Boksburg and surrounding areas woke up to no power today following a fire that broke out at the Witkoppie substation in the early hours of this morning.

Municipal spokesperson Zweli Dlamini says due to the extent of the damage, some areas will be left without power for about a week, while technicians are working to replace the damaged equipment.

Preliminary investigations indicate that a cable fault downstream may have caused the fire, which then damaged critical electrical components inside the substation.

“Technicians are working around the clock to restore some of the areas with available capacity. At this stage, the anticipated restoration time for Anderbolt, Yaldwyn and Witfield substations is between 19:00 and 20:00, or a bit earlier.

“However, areas that are supplied from the 11kV board, which include Witkoppie Ridge, Impala Park, Atlasville, Bardene, Beyers Park and surroundings, will take the team up to seven days to replace all affected cables and mini-subs,” says Dlamini.