Johannesburg firefighters were alerted to a roaring fire in the dead of night and responded to the call to put out the fire and save lives.
The fire was at Industria West on Wright Street in Joburg in the early hours of Friday, September 27.
“On arrival they found an abandoned factory on fire,” said Johannesburg Emergency Services (EMS) spokesperson, Xolile Khumalo.
“The factory is illegally occupied and used as a storage for recycled clothing and other miscellaneous material.”
Khumalo revealed that 15 male ‘recyclists’ escaped the fire safely. The owner of the building has not yet been established, and the investigation has been handed over to the South African Police Service (SAPS).
The source of the fire has not been disclosed as authorities continue with the inquiry into the disaster.
South Africa is no stranger to abandoned building fires, especially in Joburg. Such a fire claimed the lives of at least 73 people in the CBD in 2023.
The fire erupted in a five-storey abandoned and hijacked building, one of many ‘problem’ buildings in the CBD.
“It is a very unfortunate situation which we had to respond to this morning at around 1.30am. We were called to this five-storey building at the corner of Alberts and Delvers Street which is one of those hijacked buildings, abandoned buildings in the inner city,” said Joburg EMS spokesperson Robert Mulaudzi.
IOL