Community responds as local supermarket goes up in flames
"We would like to express our sincere thanks to Vryheid Neighbourhood Watch and the members of the community who assisted," adding, "We are really grateful to the guys who responded and commend them on the work they are doing in Vryheid."
UTRECHT Street was a hive of activity this morning as Vryheid Neighbourhood Watch and members of the community took control of the blaze that engulfed Spar.
At approximately 5:20am, a patrolling Pro5 employee noticed smoke billowing from the building at the intersection of Utrecht and East Streets and alerted Neighbourhood Watch, who responded immediately, deploying vehicles to the scene and mobilising assistance from community members who were able to supply water.
Vryheid Neighbourhood Watch Chairman, Andrè Rheder, who was one of the first on the scene, contacted the AbaQulusi Fire Department as soon as the call came through. Fortunately, the Neighbourhood Watch crew, along with the community, took charge of the situation, taming the blaze and minimising the damage as best they could while waiting for the fire department to arrive. The fire managed to spread to the storeroom of ACE Mica before it could be effectively contained.
At approximately 6:38am, according to those at the scene, the AbaQulusi Municipality fire truck arrived. The arrival of the fire truck did little to calm the urgency of the situation, however, as it allegedly pitched up empty and had to be filled at the scene, wasting precious time while the building burned.
Ken Taylor and the team from Working on Fire arrived at the smouldering building within half an hour of being alerted of the fire, despite having further to travel than the fire department.
Sifiso Ngwenya and Nhlanhla Makhanya, owners of the burning business, were at the scene and stated, “We would like to express our sincere thanks to Vryheid Neighbourhood Watch and the members of the community who assisted,” adding, “We are really grateful to the guys who responded and commend them on the work they are doing in Vryheid.”
“I think that, following this incident, we should really consider becoming a part of Vryheid Neighbourhood Watch, concluded Ngwenya. Both Ngwenya and Makhanya introduced themselves to Neighbourhood Watch Chairman, Andrè Rheder and thanked him and his team for their assistance with a smile, despite the unfortunate circumstances, and a handshake.
Rheder conveyed their message to the dedicated members who made themselves available to respond to the emergency, as well as thanking Working on Fire for their swift response.
Although unconfirmed, it is believed that, aside from structural and electrical damage to the building, the blaze destroyed approximately half a million rand worth of stock. The cause of the fire has yet to be established and will only be confirmed after further investigation.
At the time of going to press, we were unable to reach the AbaQulusi Municipality Fire Department for comment.
