DURBAN WAREHOUSE FIRE RAGES ON, BUSINESSES TOLD TO EVACUATE

“[The SA Police Service] SAPS has informed us that they are encouraging everyone in the precinct of this fire to evacuate. All businesses in the area have been asked to cease operations, the N4 highway has been closed, Southcoast road has been closed. The M7 bluff has been closed to avoid any problems,” Rescue Care Medical paramedic Garrith Jamieson said.
The police and the eThekwini Municipality could not be immediately reached for comment on the evacuation.
In an update on social media, before 10 pm
, the eThekwini Municipality said that the firefighters were working tirelessly from the morning when the fire started, to ensure it is contained.
“We have 41 fire vehicles onsite, 35 are fire trucks and six are support vehicles. We have 125 fire personnel on duty. Our Water Department has made provision for enough water to be available to assist with this operation,” the municipality wrote on its Facebook page.
“We continue to ask residents to remain calm. We plead with certain residents to stop spreading panic in their communities. We will keep residents updated.”
Earlier, the eThekwini Municipality said that reports indicated that the fire started at around 9.30am.
The municipality urged people to stay indoors and close all windows and doors as well as ensure that air-conditioning systems are switched off.
“All relevant Municipal departments were immediately activated to ensure that the incident was dealt with efficiently and effectively. Preliminary reports from Environment Health practitioners indicate that the warehouse contains a large volume of wax and polypropylene (plastic),” the eThekwini Municipality said in a statement.
“The smoke from the fire is moving over the City as a result of strong 40-50km South Westerly winds. The smoke is not at this point coming to the ground within the City but is moving towards the northern direction. No injuries have been reported and the cause of the fire is unknown. Due to the poor visibility emanating from the smoke, motorists are advised to keep their headlights on and drive cautiously.”

Source: citizen

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