Municipality blamed for continuous fires around the city

CLAIRWOOD residents were yet again smothered in toxic fumes after another factory went on fire. The incident occurred on Sunday, February 6, at about 17:30 at the corner of Ganesh and Pine roads.

Desmond D’Sa from the South Durban Community Environmental Alliance (SDSEA) said the occurrence of another fire in the city was because of the municipality’s negligence.

“This is happening because there is no oversight, we do not have an inspector who goes out to investigate. No one is checking whether these companies are compliant with the bylaws and laws of this country.

“Recently, we’ve seen an increase in exposures and fires in the Clairwood area – the Transnet pipeline is a prime example of it.

“The KZN Resin factory on Balfour Road in Jacobs is another and at UPL during the looting which burned for more than five days. These are regular occurrences and it is an indication of the failure of our government to protect the citizens of this country,” he said.

D’Sa lambasted the city for its failure to put an emergency plan into place for the Sunday fire. He called for the city to do more in terms of protecting its residents. He said in contrast with the rest of the city, only affluent suburbs have private fire stations and all the security mechanisms to protect those people.

“There was no emergency plan put into place that we’re aware of. Nobody went into action immediately after the explosion and fire occurred on the trucks that were burnt out. We have been calling for this for more than 25 years. The life of the citizens of Durban is treated as cheap.

“They are not treated with respect and do not have any decent security that can protect their interest. We believe that the citizens of this country and this city need to start standing up and coming together,” he said.

The municipality’s spokesperson, Lindiwe Khuzwayo, said it took the Jacobs Fire Department three minutes to arrive on the scene. She said the cause of the fire has not been confirmed yet and that no injuries were reported.

“The fire officer and crew found two horse and trailer trucks and light motor vehicle fully engulfed in flames. These two trucks were carrying diesel in plastic containers (intermediate bulk containers of 1000 L each) on their flatbeds.

“The other vehicles, the two-horse trailer and three light motor cars, also suffered fire damage due to being exposed to fire. We were able to save these vehicles from being destroyed completely by fire. “The fire was extinguished at 18:23,” she said. She added that fire safety officers will visit the site to investigate the site’s fire safety compliance.

For assistance in hosting an emergency plan workshop, call Desmond D’Sa on 083 982 6939.