Rocky Drift factory burns down
The estimated cost of damages is R2m, including five cars that were inside the building when it caught fire.
A devastating fire broke out at an ice lolly manufacturing plant on Monday, October 7, reducing the structure to cinders.
The fire spread from a nearby veld fire, jumping through some pallets that were stacked up outside and quickly engulfing the building, sending a thick cloud of black smoke into the sky.
The delay in the City of Mbombela’s Fire Department’s efforts to contain the blaze have placed renewed emphasis on the ongoing water crisis in Rocky Drift.
Isabel Odendaal, who was at Nelspruit Milling when the fire started, said the feeling of helplessness was overwhelming. The fire was initially reported on the walkie-talkie app Zello at about 12:25.
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“In the follow-up message about 10 minutes later, it became evident that the situation was becoming very serious. This is when we learnt that the building was on fire. We immediately went outside to evaluate the situation to see if evacuation was necessary, but when we saw the smoke across the road, a feeling of helplessness overwhelmed us as we knew there was nothing we could do.”
At the time of the fire, the area had already gone without water from October 4. The outage was the result of a burst pipe feeding the reservoir.
According to Odendaal, repairs were under way on Wednesday, but questions posed to the City of Mbombela’s spokesperson, Joseph Ngala, went unanswered.
“The lack of water is nothing new to the area, and we have become accustomed to being without water for up to two weeks at a time. We have had to resort to extreme measures just to have drinking water when the taps are dry,” said Odendaal.
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Upon arrival, the Mbombela Fire Brigade did their utmost.
“I was on scene and they did a sterling job, considering the lack of water. These men and women did their utmost to control the fire and keep it from spreading,” JR van der Westhuizen said on Lowvelder’s Facebook page, while Ivy Sedibe said it took over an hour for them to arrive.Pieter Small agreed it was devastating to stand there and watch the fire.”
Even worse was watching the firefighters doing their utmost with what little water was available to them. I take my hat of to these men and women. Lefpa [Lowveld & Escarpment Fire Protection Association] made short work of the fire as its chopper could access the core.
The circumstances were not in your favour, and still you showed up risking life and limb. “Thankfully, all 15 people in the building at the time were safely evacuated, but the damage was extensive, the losses estimated at over R2m in equipment and five cars. The building’s owner, Mannie Daeveiro, confirmed that they had complied with fire prevention regulations, but that the unexpected situation had caught them off guard.
Lefpa deployed aerial assistance via a Quick Reaction Force (QRF) helicopter to help contain the fire. Stephen Jackson, a QRF crew member, highlighted the challenges they faced, including a nearby cellphone tower and chemical storage building. Despite these obstacles, they successfully contained the fire within an hour, much to the relief of the bystanders.
Lefpa reminded Lowveld residents of the importance of fire safety and preparedness, especially in areas prone to veld fires, during the fire season, which is set to continue until the end of October.
