Tenants lucky to escape when building catches fire
No tenants will be allowed to use the building until it is declared safe by the fire master.
MBOMBELA – Tenants mostly dressmakers leasing shops in the Simunye Building in town are lucky to have escaped unharmed when a fire broke out on the first floor this morning.
“We were lucky to escape, however, we lost a great deal as some of us were supposed to have taken our products to Johannesburg and other areas tomorrow. Not working today means we lost business,” said Nomsa Nkosi, a dressmaker.
Some of the tenants allege that the fire might have been caused by a poor electric supply to the building.
“The electricity had been tripping now and then since last Saturday, a thing which we had reported to the management of the building but they did nothing about it,” they said.
Mr Eric Matande, who is also a dressmaker in the building, said they now fear for their own lives as it is now the second time the building has caught fire. “The first incident was in 2013 when a fire broke out on the second floor, that situation was bad then. At least today we were told to evacuate the place in time although some of us with sinus problems were affected,” he said.
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Hi Tech guards officer manager Mr Jan Nienaber said the cause of the fire is not yet known. “We can’t make allegations on the causes of the fire at the moment; we must first have proof for that. So far investigations are under way by the fire master with our insurance company,” he said.
He added that fire extinguishers responded in time to put it out. He said no tenants will be allowed to use the building until it is declared safe by the fire master.
