Student captures burning building in Durban CBD
Nokubongwa Chamane rushed outside to see what was happening.
A DURBAN student woke up to the smell of smoke this morning, Thursday, August 11. Nokubongwa Chamane, who lives in a block of flats on Dr Pixley KaSeme Street, saw thick smoke pouring out of a building opposite her home.
Chamane captured the scene in a video she submitted to Berea Mail.
“I was so scared. I wanted to shout to the people in the building to get out,” said the student.
She added that the fire started at about 06:00.
“People were shouting. I rushed outside to see what was happening. The firefighters came as students started to gather outside in the street. Paramedics arrived on the scene at about 07:30, along with police. I didn’t see if anyone was injured,” said Chamane, a journalism student.
*Spokesperson for Durban Central SAPS, Captain Muzi Maphumulo confirmed that a fire broke out in Colonial Mutual Building in Durban.
He said the fire started inside a restaurant in the building before it opened.
“According to firefighters, the fire had started in the kitchen of the restaurant. It is suspected that the stove caught alight. The firefighters don’t suspect any foul play was involved,” said Maphumulo.
There were no major injuries reported although Maphumulo confirmed that two students who reside in the building were taken to Addington Hospital for smoke inhalation.
There have been several fires in the CBD this year. A building on the corner of Grey and Beatrice streets caught alight on February 12, just days after a fire on Queen Street on February 10. In January, 13 people were injured after a fire ripped through China Mall on Dr Pixley KaSame Street. The fire burned for five days, leaving thick smoke in the city.
*This article was updated at 13:30 as SAPS’s comment was received.
Caxton Local Media Covid-19 reporting Dear Reader, As your local news provider, we have the duty of keeping you factually informed on Covid-19 developments. As you may have noticed, mis- and disinformation (also known as ‘fake news’) are circulating online. Caxton Local Media is determined to filter through the masses of information doing the rounds and to separate truth from untruth in order to keep you adequately informed. Local newsrooms follow a strict pre-publication fact-checking protocol. A national task team has been established to assist in bringing you credible news reports on Covid-19. Readers with any comments or queries may contact National Group Editor Irma Green (irma@caxton.co.za) or Legal Adviser Helene Eloff (helene@caxton.co.za). At the time of going to press, the contents of this feature mirrored South Africa’s lockdown regulations. 
Do you want to receive alerts regarding this and other Berea community news via Telegram? Send us a Telegram message (not an SMS) with your name and surname (ONLY) to 060 532 5409. You can also join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. PLEASE NOTE: If you have signed up for our news alerts, you need to save the Telegram number as a contact to your phone,
