On Friday evening, June 6 within minutes a fire started in the sub-station in Campbell Street; as soon as the fire started emergency services were contacted about the fire.
A fire truck from Emalahleni’s Fire and Rescue Department arrived on scene to put out the blaze, only to find out that there was no water in their truck.
The second truck was called out to the scene, while this truck was on its way to Campbell Street, residents in the area assisted the emergency service workers by providing them with hose pipes from their homes.
As the second truck arrived on scene, the fire had already been extinguished and everything in the sub station had been destroyed.
Mr Theo van Vuuren, Emalahleni Administrator said on his Facebook page; “The sub-station in Campbell Street caught fire leaving Klipfontein, Extension five and eight, water purification plant as well as surrounding areas without power. Some areas have been ring fed therefore they have power, such as the water purification plant. Unfortunately due to the excessive damage power will only be restored in three days.”
The Democratic Alliance Councillor Naritha Naidu sent out a press release where the DA is calling for an investigation into the substation fire.
The DA is concerned about the state of readiness of Emalahleni’s fire and rescue service to effectively perform its duty following the fire that destroyed the mini substation over the weekend.
Fire and rescue services are essential services and its efficiency can be determining in a life or death matter. In this light, Emalahleni administrator Theo Van Vuuren must make the restoration of the fire service a top priority.
“We will therefore be submitting questions to council with regards to the state of Emalahleni’s emergency fire and rescue service’s ability to handle such disasters. We will also table a motion in council asking for a thorough investigation of the state of the substations to be carried out,” said Councillor Naidu.
Video of the fire
* Can’t see the video? Click here
