Another fire has been reported in the Johannesburg CBD area. According to Emergency Management Services (EMS), the fire was reported on Friday early morning.
EMS media officer Xolile Khumalo said the fire was reported to emergency services shortly before 6am. Firefighters arrived on the scene and found that the blaze had started on the second floor of the building.
Firefighters respond swiftly
“Firefighters swiftly responded to a fire that broke out at the corner of Mooi and Kerk streets in the Johannesburg CBD early on Friday morning. The fire has since been contained, and firefighters remain at the scene carrying out overhaul operations to ensure there are no remaining hotspots,” said Khumalo.
There were no confirmed reports of injuries.
Khumalo said EMS inspectors are on site and will begin investigating the cause of the fire once firefighting operations have been concluded.
“EMS urges members of the public to exercise caution when using electrical appliances to help prevent fire incidents.”
Joburg’s deadly fires
The latest fire incident comes nearly three years after one of South Africa’s deadliest urban fires claimed 77 lives in Johannesburg’s CBD.
In the early hours of August 31 2023, a fire tore through the Usindiso Building at 80 Albert Street in Marshalltown, killing 77 people, including children, and injuring 88 others. The building, which had been illegally occupied and housed hundreds of residents, became the focus of a commission of inquiry that examined fire safety, emergency response and the management of hijacked buildings in the city.
Cold front warning
Meanwhile, the country braces for severe winter weather after the South African Weather Service (SAWS) issued an early warning for a powerful cold front and associated upper-air trough expected to make landfall over the Western and Northern Cape on Sunday.
According to SAWS, the system is expected to bring cold to very cold, wet and windy conditions, rough sea conditions, and snowfall over the mountainous areas of the Western and Northern Cape before spreading eastwards into the Eastern Cape. Forecasters have warned that conditions are likely to deteriorate further on Monday as the weather system moves inland.
ALSO READ: Joburg CBD building fire kills two people, leaves four injured
- A fire was reported early Friday morning on the second floor of a building at the corner of Mooi and Kerk streets in Johannesburg CBD.
- Firefighters contained the fire and are conducting overhaul operations to eliminate remaining hotspots, with no injuries reported.
- EMS inspectors are on site and will investigate the cause once firefighting operations conclude, urging caution with electrical appliances.
- The recent fire incident follows a deadly urban fire on 31 August 2023 in Johannesburg's CBD that killed 77 people at the Usindiso Building.
- The South African Weather Service issued a warning for a severe cold front expected to bring cold, wet, and windy conditions, as well as snowfall in parts of the Western and Northern Cape.
