Joburg CBD fire inquiry: First responders to continue giving evidence

JOHANNESBURG - First responders on the scene of the deadly Marshalltown fire that killed 77 people will give testimonial evidence at the commission of inquiry into the Usindiso building on Friday.

On Thursday, three firefighters took to the stand on day one of the public proceedings, detailing what firefighters found in the building on the day of the fire.

The firefighters told the commission's chairperson, Justice Sisi Khampepe, that fire prevention systems in the building were vandalised, while emergency evacuation routes were blocked using cardboard material.
In August, a raging fire tore through the five-story hijacked building in the CBD, leaving several people injured.

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- Joburg CBD fire inquiry hears how the inferno went as far as the third floor

Johannesburg Emergency Services' platoon commander, Lucas Thipe, will continue his testimony on Friday morning and is expected to be followed by other first responders who were on the scene on the day of the blaze.

The commission heard that the fire started on the ground floor of the building and was extinguished before it reached the fourth floor.

Johannesburg Emergency Services' acting chief, Rapulane Monageng, told the commission that several paraffin stoves were found in the building.

“The stove itself, the top supporting structure has rusted through, meaning if you put a pot on this kind of stove, it can either collapse, fall on its side, and actually start a fire in the same space.”

He said portable fire extinguishers were vandalised, while hose reels were used for domestic purposes.