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By News24 Wire

Wire Service


Train carriages set on fire in Cape Town

Circumstances surrounding the cause of the fire are not known and will be a matter of investigation for Transnet.


The City of Cape Town’s fire and rescue service responded to a scene where train carriages were alight at the Transnet Marshalling Yard in Bellville, Cape Town, on Thursday, just after 6am.

According to City of Cape Town Fire Services spokesperson Jermaine Carelse, three firefighting appliances, a rescue vehicle, and 14 staff members were dispatched.

“The officer of the first arriving appliance confirmed that it was disused wooden carriages alight. The fire has been contained and no injuries have been reported,” Carelse said.

Last week, News24 reported that several disused wooden train carriages at the shunting yard in Woodstock, Cape Town, caught fire on July 21.

Carelse said that in that case, five firefighting appliances, a rescue vehicle, and 21 firefighters responded at around 7.55pm.

“Upon arrival, it was found that disused wooden carriages on a different railway line had caught fire. This required additional resources being called to assist in containing the blaze.”

Carelse said circumstances surrounding the cause of the fire were not known and would be a matter of investigation for Transnet.

– News24 Wire

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