PICTURES: Listen to Hillary Sports Club vice-chair describe timeline of Wednesday’s fire
Freddy Kruger shared his voice notes with the Highway Mail along with some pictures he was able to take when assessing the damage caused by the fire.
THE aftermath of the fire, which razed portions of Hillary Sports Club from just after 5pm on Wednesday, 28 October, is slowly becoming apparent as the club committee, and workers try to see what is left of the building and club facilities.
ALSO READ: VIDEO: Firefighters return to Hillary Sports Club as fire reignites
Freddy Kruger, vice-chair of the current committee which was due to have its AGM this week, shared some voice notes explaining the timeline of events on Wednesday evening.
Kruger, who phoned the fire department while driving to the club after hearing about the fire, said it is heartbreaking to see all the hard work having gone up in flames.
The hall had been hired out for temporary storage of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to help the club raise some much- needed funds following the extended closure of all the facilities during much of the national state of disaster lockdown.
ALSO READ: VIDEO: Bird-napped peacock rescued from overturned car to be reunited with Queensburgh family
ALSO READ: Job-seeking mum distraught after brazen Pinetown robbery
The safe which contained takings from the bar and other activities at the club recently was opened to reveal that everything inside had been reduced to ashes.
“We are covered by insurance and they are still assessing the damage,” said Kruger.
Kruger said the estimated cost of damage could run into the millions, but would only be known once a full investigation into the damage was completed.
It is still not known how the fire began as investigations are ongoing, however, it is clear the club will be out of operation for some time.
A couple who were due to have their wedding reception in the hall this weekend has had to find another venue for their celebration.
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”) is 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).
Do you want to receive alerts regarding this and other Highway 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, otherwise you will not receive our alerts. Here’s where you can download Telegram on Android or Apple.
