Second fire in three years guts hostels at Bloemfontein high school

Two hostels occupied by female pupils at Dr Blok Secondary School in Heidedal, Bloemfontein, were gutted by fire on Sunday afternoon.

This is the second time in three years that the hostel has been affected by a fire.

Emergency medical service VR MED and the Mangaung Fire and Rescue Department responded to the fire at the Dr Blok Secondary School hostel in Heidedal, Bloemfontein, on Sunday.

The Divisional Officer Mangaung Fire and Rescue Department, Braam van Zyl, told the Bloemfontein Courant that a few pupils were still in the hostel when the blaze broke out, but they managed to evacuate into the school hall.

“Both the ground floor as well as the second floor caught fire and everything inside the building has been destroyed,” said Van Zyl.

Although the hostels were gutted by fire, there were fortunately no casualties and all pupils were accounted for.

Three pupils suffered smoke inhalation and were taken to hospital, while a man was also taken in for treatment.

The cause of the fire is unknown at this stage, and the police and Mangaung fire department are investigating.

All the pupils’ belongings, including clothes and blankets, were destroyed in the blaze.

The school told The Citizen that all the pupils were taken to a guesthouse.

The Free State Education Department spokesperson, Howard Ndaba, told the Bloemfontein Courant that there were 59 pupils living in the hostel and that the department managed to secure them accommodation for Sunday evening.

He also said the MEC for education, Tate Makgoe, and other officials would be visiting the school on Monday to decide a way forward.

Second fire at the school in three years

This is the second time in three years a fire broke out at the school, after the living quarters of the then housemaster, Nathan du Plessis, were almost burnt to the ground in 2019.

The Mangaung fire department managed to put out the fire at the source, preventing it from spreading further.

A police officer on the scene told Bloemfontein Courant that they suspect that the previous fire was caused by a television set that exploded.

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