SDCEA call for burned Jacobs factory shut down
Desmond D'Sa: We found that there was no fire equipment nor trained staff for fire safety.
FOLLOWING the burning of a shoe factory on Shetland Road in Jacobs, the South Durban Community Environmental Alliance (SDCEA) condemned factory owners and local health authorities for endangering the lives of workers and residents.
This comes after the factory’s blaze lasting over four hours with residents at the helm of inhaling toxic fumes.
“The fire had a huge impact on the quality of life for residents, with people as far as Austerville and neighbouring companies suffering from it. The company has bad safety records. We visited the company two years ago with the fire department and the site was supposed to be shut down and the owners prosecuted. We found that there was no fire equipment nor trained staff for fire safety. The factories are built very closely to each other which causes a domino effect if safety measures are not implemented,” said SDCEA’s office coordinator, Desmond D’Sa.
D’sa added that this was an example of government failing its citizens as the company was still operating in dangerous conditions even though it had been declared unsafe. He called on officials to hold public hearings to afford residents to have their say on issues that affect them most.
While there were no fatalities, three people sustained minor injuries. A woman who jumped out from a window in an attempt to escape the inferno was taken to hospital by a private car while her two colleagues were treated on scene by paramedics for minor injuries. Workers from nearby factories were also evacuated by city officials in the interests of public safety as the fire intensified and smoke bellowed to adjacent roads and buildings.
According to one of the first respondents, Garrith Jamieson of Rescue Care Paramedics, they arrived on the scene to find the factory well alight. Multiple fire tenders arrived on the scene to tackle the blaze. Durban SAPS and Metro Police Search and Rescue also assisted fire fighters.
Medic, Ian Wessels, who put his own life in danger to rescue a dog that was discovered to be trapped inside the blaze, was adamant to find it.
“Rescuers located the dog and made a hole in the wall where Ian went through and rescued the dog. The dog was then cooled down and given water and assessed thoroughly by Rescue Care medics and SAPS Search and Rescue. The dog was given a clean bill of health,” said Jamieson.
According to Wentworth SAPS, the fire reportedly started in one part of the building and escalated to the shoe factory.
“The employees were vacated to safety outside. Wentworth police, the fire department and Metro Police were on the scene in attempts to contain the blaze. The road was temporarily barricaded to avoid traffic piling up,” said Wentworth SAPS communications officer, Captain Mbuso Gumede. The cause of the fire is still being investigated.
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