More questions have been raised over the fire that broke out at 164 Alexandra Street on Sunday, November 8. The shop fire was reported just before midnight and quickly ravaged the entire row of shops while residents and fire fighters tried desperately to quell the flames.

Unfortunately all the shops were extensively damaged and this caused some residents to question the response time and methods used to extinguish the massive inferno.

Last week a resident commented that the fire department’s response time was slow and this exacerbated the damage. Another resident has added her voice, saying that the fire hose used to extinguish the fire was in a poor condition.

“The fire in Alexandra Street could have been contained if the fire hose did not leak. The hose had holes. The hard working fire fighters tried their best. They even battled to get water from a nearby fire hydrant. The fire engine from Masonite came to the rescue. A big thank you to the driver who helped from 1am to 4am,” commented the resident.

Umtshezi Acting Municipal Manager Elphas Dladla was asked to respond to this view and said that the fire hose was damaged at the scene.
“The hose was popped by sharp objects inside the building,” said Mr Dladla. He was also questioned about compliance from business owners and fire inspections.

“Fire inspections are still conducted regularly by the Fire Safety Officer. Inspections were conducted in the vicinity of the fire at 158 Alexandra Street on August 27, where four shops were inspected for compliance,” he commented. Mr Dladla listed other business premises that have been inspected in the past weeks.

He added that trade licenses are only issued after an inspection of the premises is done by the Building Control Officer, Fire Safety Officer and Health Inspector.

In addition, Mr Dladla provided the following tips to business people to safeguard against fires:

• Turn off all electrical appliances at the end of each day.
• Check all electrical cords. If a cord is damaged, replace it and don’t overload circuits.
• Do not make illegal electrical connections, as this is a major contributor, and ignition source for fire.
• All electrical installations and repairs must be conducted by a competent, qualified electrician who will issue a Certificate of Compliance once the work is complete and safe, in accordance with electrical legislation.
• All combustible materials are to be stored away from electrical lights, heaters and air conditioning units.
• Practice good housekeeping at all times and do not store high volumes of stock in a shop as it increases the fire load and risk. • Call 036 352 6464/4444 to report fires.