The Cubaña in Bloemfontein’s President Reitz Avenue has burnt down in a giant blaze in Westdene on Saturday morning.
Social media was aghast at video clips of the scene. As of publication, firefighters were still battling the fire at the Free State’s well-known version of the national franchise.
Bloemfontein Courant has reported that when the Mangaung Metro’s fire department arrived at the scene, there was already nothing left of the building.
A car guard, who was one of the first people on the scene, told the Courant that he ran into the building when he first saw the smoke.
“The manager and some of the waiters were in the building when the fire broke out. I ran inside to try and help them by using the fire extinguishers, but to no avail.”
Other car guards and members of neighbourhood watch groups had their hands full to keep bystanders away from the fire and regulate the traffic before the authorities arrived on the scene. Second Avenue was closed for traffic.
The cause of the fire is still unknown. A waiter at Cubana, who was off-duty when the fire broke out, told Bloemfontein Courant on the scene that nobody got hurt in the blaze.
Cubaña describes itself as South Africa’s “only authentic Latino social caffe and eatery which provides the services of a cocktail bar and Cuban lounge with a unique flavoursome cuisine”.
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