No injuries were reported.
At least eight rooms and a hallway were gutted after a student accommodation building which was under renovation caught fire in the City of Tshwane.
The City of Tshwane Emergency Services Department responded to the building fire in Rissik Street in Sunnyside on Sunday.
Firefighters battled the blaze for an entire day until the early hours of Monday morning.
Fire
City of Tshwane Emergency Services spokesperson Lindsay Zwelithini Mnguni said blaze was reported to the Emergency Communication Centre just before midnight.
“The Centre then immediately dispatched a fire engine from Hatfield Fire Station, which was the nearest fire station to the scene. Several additional firefighting resources from various stations including were also sent as back-up to the scene.”
“Firefighting resources from Central Fire Station, Philip Nel Park Fire Station, Hazelwood Fire Station, Innesdale Fire Station and Silverton Fire Station were also sent as back-up to the scene. These included three fire engines, a ladder, a water tanker, a mobile command unit, a district commander’s unit and a video unit.”
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Student accommodation
Mnguni said on arrival, the firefighters found out that the two-storey building was being renovated and used for student accommodation.
“It was well alight on the first floor, and that the fire was spreading fast through the rooms that were separated by partition walls. Firefighters immediately established incident command and began with firefighting operations. These involved aggressive firefighting and protecting the other nearby exposed buildings.
“About eight rooms in total and two hallways were affected by the fire. The ground floor and most of the first floor were saved because of the swift actions of the firefighters. They also protected the nearby building that was exposed thus preventing it from being damaged by the raging fire,” Mnguni said.
Investigations
Mnguni added that firefighters left the scene at about 2:44am on Monday after ensuring that the fire was completely extinguished.
“The Tshwane Metro Police Department, the South African Police Service and other role-players were on the scene and assisted with incident management.”
Mnguni said no injuries were reported and the cause of the fire has not yet been determined.
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