WATCH: Presley’s nightclub owner humbled by support following fire

Presley’s nightclub owner Chris da Silva says he was humbled by the support and messages of sympathy from patrons, friends and family after a blaze gutted his property.

The fire caused millions of rand in damage as part of the property burnt to the ground.

The devastating blaze, which broke out on Saturday night (September 10), ripped through the facility and destroyed several structures, including the thatched building, storerooms and a light motor vehicle belonging to the nightclub.

Firefighters from several local fire stations, Boksburg, Wadeville Farramere, Rynfiled, Albertina, Primrose and Wadeville, battled the blaze through the night.

“The reaction from people showed me how much people love us. It’s unbelievable. By Tuesday, there were hundreds of people who came to assist us, and plenty of people called and sent messages. Others expressed their sympathy on our social media page.

“My phone was so busy that I could not answer anymore. I had to give the phone to my daughter and said to her just run with this.
“I’m humbled by everybody that reached out to us while going through this difficult time. I like to thank all of you for actually thinking about us and sharing the sorrow that we are going through.
“But if any of you people know us, you will understand that we will not go down because of this. We will come back. We will make sure that we’ve got a space for you people to use.”

Da Silva confirmed that the thatched building (Monroes) was completely damaged.

“We have recently redone the thatched roof at the cost of about R300 000 and everything is gone just like that. A section of the Queens and Kings suffered substantial damage and may take a little bit more time to fix.
“The other sections in the main building remain intact and are up and running. Presleys, Silverado Pub & Grill and the car wash are operational.

He stated that despite the fire, they are busy cleaning Monroes to make it safe to host their Grande Festa this weekend.

“We are not planning to rebuild Monroes now. Rebuilding may start at the beginning of next year and we are not going to use a thatched roof again.

“The birthday celebration on October 1 is supposed to happen. I can guarantee you, come hell or high water, nothing is going to stop us. Presley’s opened on October 3 in 1992 and we will be celebrating our important milestone here and in Pretoria.

“I promise you in my heart I feel that this is the most unbelievable experience, whether it’s a testimony of God or whatever it is, I’m here and I’m not going anywhere.”

Da Silva said the fire could have been caused by anything from wrongly discarded cigarette butts to many other things.

“It may be difficult to discover the real cause. I noticed the grass on the ground burning and it appears that because of the strong wind it immediately spread to the thatched roof within seconds.
“It was still early at around 19:00 and there were no customers in the section where the fire started. The other sections in the main building were opened and we had a few functions on that day.”
He said patrons and staff members were calmly evacuated. It appears that, except for a few people who had to be treated for smoke inhalation, no one suffered serious injuries.

“Most of the customers had to leave without paying their bills when the fire started. I was humbled when most of them came back the following days to pay.”

Da Silva pointed out that despite the devastating fire, he is not planning to retrench staff.

“I have 30 to 40 people working here, and I’m not intending to drop any employee. We were hardest hit by Covid-19 but we survived with all staff intact. We always stick together like a family.”

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