UPDATE: Firefighters blamed for delay in responding to fire which claimed DJ’s son

Johannesburg Emergency Management Services (EMS) denied it responded late to the fire in which Nadif Kgoleng (11) died on Sunday.
Nadif, the son of DJ Clive ‘C Live’ Shabalala, was killed after a fire engulfed his father’s house in Bez Valley, shortly after 10pm.
This statement was issued by the EMS in response to comments made by the ward 66 councillor, Clr Carlos da Rocha, and some eye witnesses.
“Though I don’t blame them for the death of the child, it took more than 15 minutes to get to the scene and more than 15 minutes to connect to the hydrant before the firefighters could start extinguishing the fire.

“The Fairview Fire Station is about two minutes from the scene, when there is no traffic. There is no reason for them to take that long,” he said.
The EMS spokesperson, Ms Nana Radebe, said the Beria Fire Station was the appropriate station to respond.
“According to our work demarcation, Bez Valley is serviced by the Beria Fire Station. The Fairview Fire Station caters for Jeppe and the surrounding areas.

“Our records state that we were on-time when responding. We received a call at 10.40pm. We dispatched Beria Fire Station vehicles at 10.44pm and arrived at the house by 10.57pm. When we arrived, the community was helping to extinguish the fire,” she said.
She said no complaints were received about a delay.
“It is the standard procedure that when we arrive at the scene of a fire, we connect to a hydrant if possible. We connect to the hydrant even though the truck has 3 000 litres of water in it. Without the hydrant, the water in the truck would last for only three to five minutes. That is why we connect to the hydrant,” she said.
Ms Radebe said that according to the records, everything was done in time.
DJ Clive ‘C Live’ Shabalala sustained serious injuries while trying to save his son, Nadif.

He is recuperating in hospital.