Nightclub indefinitely closed following fire

Presleys nightclub management is counting the cost of the devastating blaze which ripped through the facility and completely destroyed a section of the property on Saturday night, September 10.

The club announced its indefinite closure on its Facebook page, following the fire.

People who were in the building at the time were reportedly evacuated. And it appears that, except for a few people who had to be treated for smoke inhalation, no one suffered serious burn injuries.

However, several structures, including the thatched building and storerooms, were completely gutted in the fire – which broke out at the site at about 19:00. A light motor vehicle, belonging to the nightclub, reportedly burned down completely.

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When the Advertiser arrived at the site, the heat was so intense that it could be felt several metres away, with a plume of dark smoke and flames rising high into the air, and chunks of blazing debris raining down on the nearby streets – prompting temporal closer of the nearby street.

Firefighters worked overnight trying to contain the fire and to make sure that other structures in the area were protected. The inferno was finally contained on Sunday morning, and shortly thereafter crews started working on mopping up the fire.

According to Natasha Staniforth, who is the daughter of the nightclub owner Chris da Silva, the bulk of the damage was caused to the north wing of the property where the fire is believed to have started, leading to extensive damage.

She pointed out that the main building remains largely intact, but the other structures overlooking it were severely damaged by the wind-driven flames, which threatened to spread to more buildings.

Staniforth said it’s too early to estimate the overall cost of the fire damage to the buildings and the contents that were gutted by the fire. She said assessment of damages are currently under way to ascertain the loss suffered.

She added that the fire occurred at a time when they were preparing for the celebration of the club’s 30 years of existence next month.

She is confident that the important milestone for the nightclub will probably still be celebrated, provided that their preparations for the event are completed in time.

Ekurhuleni Disaster and Emergency Management spokesperson, Eric Maloka, said that they received a call at about 19:00 on Saturday informing them that the property was engulfed in flames.

A crew of about 52 firefighters and equipment from six stations, Boksburg, Wadeville Farramere, Rynfiled, Albertina, Primrose and Wadeville, were dispatched to tackle the severe blaze that had already engulfed part of the property.

“A search and rescue operation was immediately initiated and three adults were pulled out from the building. They were treated for smoke inhalation and it’s believed that two of them were later transported to nearby healthcare centres for further medical assessments.

“The thatched building was completely damaged and its roof collapsed.”

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

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