Firefighters attend to a fire at an abandoned building in Johannesburg. Picture: Michel Bega/The Citizen
A suspect has been arrested for arson in connection with the fire that broke out at a hijacked building in the central business district (CBD) of Johannesburg.
This is according to the City of Joburg.
Speaking to reporters at the scene, Joburg city manager Floyd Brink said an unidentified woman was apprehended and was now in the possession of the South African Police Service (Saps).
“It does seem at this point the fire was started by a specific person… it’s a female.
“We have handed over [her] to Saps [and] we are now waiting for the investigations to unfold,” he said on Sunday.
Brink said the metropolitan municipality’s forensic team was deployed to inspect the building.
“It’s now really up to Saps to be able to indicate to us exactly from that side in terms of the fire. But what we can indicate to you is that it took about 10 minutes or so for our teams to be on-site for them to start extinguishing the fire,” the city manager continued.
WATCH: At least two dead after Joburg CBD building goes up in flames
He revealed that the blaze was picked up by the city’s camera systems.
“We [did not] receive any calls from anyone so through our systems we have managed to detect [the fire] and that’s how we then deployed our teams with our fire engines.”
Brink also confirmed that the building was hijacked.
“Bad buildings have been a problem for us in the City of Johannesburg as it is well known.”
The city manager, however, stressed that the city was working to address the issue of hijacked buildings by creating long-term and sustainable plans for residents.
The fire has resulted in the deaths of two people, while four people were transported to hospital for further medical care.
According to Johannesburg Emergency Services (EMS), some residents sustained minor injuries while escaping the burning building.
“Two people jumped from the second floor, and three people were rescued from the balcony. Two people were found dead as search and rescue operations continued at the building fire. Four people have been transported to healthcare facilities for further medical care.
“The fire operation continues at the two-storey building that was engulfed with flames earlier this morning. The fire spread very quickly, affecting different levels of the building because of the combustible materials used,” Joburg EMS spokesperson Xolile Khumalo said.
Meanwhile, the Commission of Inquiry into last year’s fatal fire in the Usindiso building in Joburg CBD resumed this week.
Wynand Engelbrecht, chief fire officer at Fire Operations, testified before the inquiry, which is chaired by retired Constitutional Court judge Sisi Khampepe.
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The inquiry is investigating the cause of the blaze that killed 77 people.
The deadline for completing the initial phase of the commission has been pushed to the end of March, with the inquiry’s report expected in April.
Additionally, the timeframe for the second phase of the commission has been extended to the end of July, and the report is now scheduled for submission at the end of August.
Additional reporting by Faizel Patel
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