A pall of dark smoke cast a shadow over Durban’s central business district (CBD) on Thursday morning, following a fire eruption in a building located on Monty Naicker Street, formerly known as Field Street.
What caused Durban CBD building fire?
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The incident was confirmed by emergency services, and images alongside videos spreading across the internet depict paramedics and the eThekwini Fire and Emergency services at the scene working tirelessly to manage the fire.
Although city authorities have yet to officially confirm the source of the fire, ground information points towards the coin exchange building with blue glass frames as the origin.
It is gathered from sources on the ground that the fire ignited on the fourth floor in the electrical room.
Subsequently, the fire was extinguished, with the electricity department on-site to disconnect the power supply to the building, averting further danger.
This event unfolds amid escalating concerns regarding the safety of buildings in central business districts of densely populated areas such as Johannesburg.
On 20 September 2023, a fire incident rattled the South African Revenue Service (SARS) offices situated in the heart of Johannesburg’s CBD.
The fire, which broke out in the Marshalltown area on a Wednesday afternoon, triggered an immediate evacuation of the SARS employees, ensuring their safety.
Notably, this occurrence marks the third fire reported within Johannesburg’s CBD in a span of one month, fuelling the ongoing apprehensions about fire safety within the city.
Among these incidents, a particularly devastating one transpired on 31 August 2023, involving a hijacked building that tragically culminated in the loss of 77 lives.