Fire guts student accommodation building in Sunnyside, Tshwane

At least eight rooms and a hallway were gutted after a student accommodation building under renovation caught fire in the City of Tshwane.

The City of Tshwane Emergency Services Department responded to the fire on Rissik Street in Sunnyside on Sunday.

Firefighters battled the blaze for an entire day until the early hours of Monday morning.

Fire

City of Tshwane Emergency Services spokesperson Lindsay Zwelithini Mnguni said the blaze was reported to the Emergency Communication Centre who immediately dispatched a fire engine from Hatfield Fire Station, the nearest fire station to the scene.  

“Firefighting resources from Central Fire Station, Philip Nel Park Fire Station, Hazelwood Fire Station, Innesdale Fire Station and Silverton Fire Station were also sent to the scene as backup. These included three fire engines, a ladder, a water tanker, a mobile command unit, a district commander’s unit and a video unit.”

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Student accommodation

Mnguni said on arrival, the firefighters discovered that the two-storey building was being renovated and used for student accommodation.

“It was well alight on the first floor, and the fire was spreading fast through the rooms that were separated by partition walls.

“Firefighters immediately established incident command and began with firefighting operations. These involved aggressive firefighting and protecting the other nearby exposed buildings.

“About eight rooms in total and two hallways were affected by the fire.

“The ground floor and most of the first floor were saved because of the swift actions of the firefighters.

“They also protected the nearby building that was exposed thus preventing it from being damaged by the raging fire,” Mnguni said.

Investigations

Mnguni added that firefighters left the scene at about 2:44 am on Monday after ensuring the fire was completely extinguished.

“The Tshwane Metro Police Department, the South African Police Service, and other role-players were on the scene and assisted with incident management.”  

Mnguni said no injuries were reported and the cause of the fire has not yet been determined.

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