UPDATE: Fire at Pinetown Magistrate’s Court may have been arson

THE fire which occurred on Monday morning in the Pinetown Magistrate’s Court has been described by fire fighters as suspicious.

The suspicion seems to rest mostly on the fact that the fire was alleged to have been lit intentionally.

According to news reports on Monday, the fire department inspected the building and found a pile of timber in the men’s public toilet where it seemed the fire had originated.

This was confirmed by Division Commander (DC) Sibusiso Dlamini, who was in charge of the day shift at the Pinetown branch of Ethekwini Fire and Emergency Services that day.

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“We as the fire department noticed that the fire started in an abnormal (toilet) area where the sources of fire were not supposed to be. To us it could only mean one thing that the fire was deliberately started. This was communicated to the building supervisor who was present. I am sure they will do the necessary to investigate further,” said Dlamini.

Dlamini confirmed that services from both Pinetown and Pinetown South Fire Stations attended the scene.

Asked if police were on the scene, he said it was usual to have police around at a court but couldn’t comment on any investigation as it was beyond his scope.

Procedure

Dlamini said the usual procedure for a fire in a building was followed and the fire department handed over to the building manager before his crew left the scene.

“We left the building in care of  the supervisor.  The building was ventilated due to smoke travelling through the (utility) shaft to upper floors. I would assume they reoccupied the building once the smoke was cleared and was safe to do so.”

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Asked if he suspected arson, Dlamini’s reply was an affirmation of his earlier statement sent to the Highway Mail‘s questions.

“As I mentioned earlier, yes we suspect arson due to the location and sources of where the fire originated from. It is the responsibility of the owner or someone affected to open the case or report the matter to police. I would assume in this case the court would have done so,” said Dlamini.

Arson?

Police at Pinetown SAPS on Monday confirmed that a case of arson had not yet been opened.

When the Highway Mail, again asked this afternoon (Wednesday, 5 February) a spokesperson for the station confirmed that there was still no record of a case having been opened.

The Highway Mail also tried to contact the court to speak to the supervisor but was unable to get through to anyone at the courts on Wednesday.

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