Joburg Emergency Services contain fire at blanket factory in Nancefield

The City of Johannesburg Emergency Management Services has successfully extinguished a fire at a blanket factory in Nancefield industrial site, south of Johannesburg.

Firefighters responded to the blanket factory blaze at around 9pm on Tuesday evening.

Joburg EMS spokesperson Robert Mulaudzi said he exact cause of the fire is being investigated.

“On arrival, firefighters found the building well alight managed to evacuate all workers on duty safely out of the building  unharmed. They started conducting firefighting operations and the fire has been stopped, no further injuries reported during this fire incident.

“Preliminary investigations indicate that the fire started by the machine used to manufacture blankets,” Mulaudzi.

Building fire

There have been a series of fires at informal settlements and buildings in recent weeks.

On Monday, the Tshwane Emergency Services managed to contain a fire that gutted a building in the city.

Firefighters responded to a building fire in Pretoria West which is believed to have started in a shop.

Tshwane EMS spokesperson, Lindsay Zwelithini Mnguni, said the cause of the fire has not yet been established.

“Through their swift action they managed to stop the fire that had already spread through the ceiling to the adjacent bakery shop. The fire was extinguished and no injuries were reported at this incident,” Mnguni said.

ALSO READ: Two killed in shack fires in Soweto and Orange Farm

Shack fires

Meanwhile, two people were killed in separate shack fires in Johannesburg over the weekend.

In one of the shack fires, a 16-year-old girl from Orlando East lost her life when a fire ripped through her home, while a 34-year-old man from Orange Farm, Driezik Extension 5, also succumbed to his injuries sustained in a similar incident.

Mulaudzi said the cause of both fire incidents is still a subject of investigations.

“As EMS we are still encouraging our residents to continue to exercise caution when using heating devices this Winter season.

“We will also be intensifying our community outreach programs to educate our residents in all seven regions of the City of Johannesburg about fire safety with the aim of preventing fire incidents/injuries/fatalities which are caused by unsafe use of heating devices,” Muladuzi said.

ALSO READ: Tshwane Emergency Services probing cause of building fire