Civilians assist in battling inferno

Civilians stepped in to assist in combating a business fire on Friday evening.

At least two residents were injured in extinguishing the flames at the makeshift warehouse on Kirkland Street, believed to have been used for the storage of furniture and other goods for an adjacent hardware store.

Residents reported the warehouse was stacked high with flammable goods.

While the cause of the fire is still under investigation, some claimed vagrants were using the house as temporary shelter. Others speculated the fire was attempted arson. Fortunately, no person was residing at the structure at the time.

Reportedly one of the first to arrive at the scene of the fire was the Portfolio Councillor for Development Planning and Human Settlements, Matthew Shunmugam. Cllr Shunmugam commented: “One of the civilians is working so hard, one might think he works for the Fire Services.”

He later left the scene, sporting a nasty gash on his foot from stepping on shattered glass. Others assisted firefighters by using tow-truck winches to wrench windows and doors open, holding fire hoses steady and shearing through burglar guarded entrances with bolt cutters.

Mayor, Afzul Rehman commended the community for its assistance.

Having been on the scene in person, Cllr Rehman said he noticed a drastic improvement in the Fire Services’ response, a service which came under fire in the wake of disasters such as the Value City inferno.

He admitted the possibility of training a volunteer fire service had come to mind.

“We should investigate the possibility of training community volunteers, and at some stage issuing protective gear to them so they can be called upon by the department, like police reservists, to assist when there is a disaster in their area.”

Asked what improvements had been made to the Fire Services recently, Cllr Rehman said millions of Rand had been spent, most notable a R3,8-million truck imported from Austria.

“It has the ability to control fires quickly,” he concluded.