PALM SPRINGS – A large fire broke out at Palm Springs shopping complex on Wednesday morning, April 26, following a generator blast in one of the shops.
According to authorities, no injuries or fatalities were reported, however, about four shops out of nine in one block, were affected including Lewis, Nizams, and Chicken Licken.
Authorities on the scene in Palmsprings shopping complex as several stores caught fire.#Sedibengster #Palmspringfire pic.twitter.com/MV2g2a5gMP
— Sifiso Jimta (@JimtaSifiso) April 26, 2023
The affected stores were guttered down, with some of the walls and ceilings falling to the ground.
Emfuleni Local Municipality Fire and Rescue teams were dispatched to the scene of the fire, where they were assisted and backed up by the City of Johannesburg Fire Fighters from Lawley station.
Employees from other stores were evacuated from buildings in the precinct for safety.
Speaking to Sedibeng Ster, Johannesburg Emergency Management Services spokesman Robert Mulaudzi said their Fire engine from Lawley Fire Station attended the scene as a backup in their neighbouring municipality following calls of fire.
“We have our fire engines and a team of firefighters on site attending to the fire. At this stage, we don’t have any injuries reported,” he said.
“Emfuleni Local Municipality Fire and Rescue will be able to give more information and feedback at a later stage pertaining to the incident,” he added.
Emfuleni spokesman Makhosonke Sangweni said their Evaton team under Commander Elliot Mbatha attended to the incident.
“According to the Regional Commander (Mbatha), they responded to the scene and managed to extinguish the fire before it could completely burn the entire block of shops at Palm Springs Mall. Four shops were affected out of nine in that block. The possible cause is the generator explosion inside one of the shops,” he said.
This is a developing story.
