The Fleurhof Recreational Centre went up in flames in the early hours of Monday.
According to Delphene Feldman, who runs a pre-school in the hall, the majority of the children had not arrived yet and only a few were inside with her.
“We don’t know what happened or how the fire started, we just saw the mattresses burning. This is when I evacuated the few children we had before the fire got out of control. We got everyone out of the building in time so nobody was hurt,” she said.
Roodepoort firefighters responded to the scene and immediately worked for a few hours, extinguishing the flames before assessing the damage.
“We are not sure what started the fire but we will be investigating it thoroughly,” said firefighters spokesperson Nana Radebe.
Zamikhaya Nqoko, one of the security assistants at the crèche, which accommodates almost 60 children, said the fire moved rapidly throughout the hall.
“I was in the kitchen and the second the fire started, I was immediately called to help evacuate the children. I suspect the reason for the fire was a gas canister that exploded but I’m not too sure. The fire engulfed the entrances making it difficult to see but we managed,” he said.
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