Accidents.co.za | Discussion, Prevention, Investigation and Response

Paramedics, Police Search and Rescue officers and eThekwini Metro firefighters responded to a report of a ship on fire in Durban Harbour.

Emergency Service Personnel arrived at the scene to find that a vessel that had been moored for salvage had caught fire while workers were stripping it with oxygen acetylene torches.

No one was injured and the fire was quelled quickly.

Eighteen elderly people were killed and several others injured when a fire broke out at an old age home in Nigel, Netcare911 paramedics said on Monday.

“A fire at the Pieter Wessels old age home in Nigel broke out at around 21:00 (on Sunday) and left 18 people dead and 84 were rescued,” spokesperson Chris Botha said.

Those who survived the furnace were evacuated to the local church where paramedics were treating them.

A man was also airlifted to Charlotte Maxeke hospital with 40% burns.

After the blaze was extinguished, firemen searched the building and found 17 of the elderly residents dead in the inferno.

Another person died of a heart attack after being taken to the church.

Two others who sustained serious injuries were taken to hospitals in the area.

The cause of the fire was not yet known.

- SAPA

Two men sustained burns to their faces after an oxygen cylinder they were working with caught fire in Bloemfontein, an emergency services spokesperson said on Friday.

“It seems that the two were working with the cylinder, perhaps trying to connect it to a machine, when there was a sudden flash of fire from the cylinder’s outlet,” Medicopter Ground Support spokesperson Vanessa Jackson said.

The men were treated for superficial and partial burns to their faces.

Trained first aiders at the factory assisted with the initial cooling of the burns.

“The two men were in severe pain, and ER24 paramedics stepped in to take over their treatment… burnshield ointment was put on, while the other was given a dosage of pain medication to ease his pain,” said Jackson.

The men were transported to the Bloemfontein Medi-Clinic.

The cause of the fire will be investigated by local officials at the factory.

No one else was injured in the incident and the fire caused no damage to property.

- SAPA

eThekwini Metro firefighters and Netcare911 Paramedics responded to a report of a building fire which gutted the ground floor of a clothing factory off Alice Street this morning.

At this stage the cause of the fire is unknown and the relevant authorities have now descended on the scene to launch an investigation.

Firefighters had to break through security gates to gain access to the fire that was raging inside the building. Once inside they made short work of the fire which was doused in a matter of minutes.

No one was injured in the incident.

We would like to urge all vehicle owners to view the information on vehicle fire:

• Escape and Safety from Vehicle Fire
• Fire Stryker and extinguishing fires

Emergency personnel rushed to a report of a factory on fire in Burnside road in Mount Edgecombe this morning. It was unclear what was burning but the smoke could be seen as far as Umgeni road.

Once emergency personnel arrived on the scene, they found that the fire was on the outside of the factory and that the content that was fully in gulfed was inners for mattress. Fire Department was quick on the scene to help extinguish the blaze.

Two workers from the factory were treated for minor burns to their faces as they tried to help extinguish the fire before the Fire Department had arrived. Both patients said they would go to their doctors later for further medical treatment if required.

The cause of how the fire started is unknown but the necessary authorities were on the scene and would investigate the incident further.

Derrick Banks
ER24

Numerous classrooms were guttered this evening when a fire broke out at a primary school in Sullivan Street, Van der Bijl Park shortly before 21:00 this evening.

An off duty ER24 paramedic explained that he was on his way home when he noticed a cloud of smoke coming from the building. The paramedic investigated and found that a lapa on the school ground was well alight as well as adjacent classrooms.

The ER24 Contact Centre notified the Van der Bijl Park fire of the emergency and they quickly responded to the scene. An ER24 medical unit was also dispatched to the scene.

Fire fighters on the scene tackled the blaze which quickly spread into the classrooms. It is not clear where or how the fire started. People from nearby areas flocked to the scene when they noticed the smoke and the emergency vehicles.

Medical units stood by on the scene to provide assistance to the fire fighters. Fortunately no one was injured in this incident.

Werner Vermaak

ER24

A 25-year-old man burned to death in his shack in Diepkloof early on Saturday morning after watching a World Cup soccer game, a Johannesburg emergency services spokesperson said.

The man from Zone 5 in Diepkloof had gone with his friends to watch a game, Percy Morokane said.

“He returned around 03:00 and we suppose that because he was cold he must have switched on his heater,” Morokane said.

“The man fell asleep and the shack caught fire.”

Morokane said emergency services was appealing for people to drink moderately during World Cup games and to make sure that all electrical appliances were switched off before they went to bed.

- SAPA

A Glen Anil automotive air conditioner factory was razed to the ground by fire this afternoon.

The cause of the fire at this stage remains unknown. Plumes of thick black smoke were seen rising from the industrial complex as flames spread through the large factory. Gas bottles inside exploded when they were engulfed by the fire, only fuelling the flames.

Paramedics immediately began coordinating rescue efforts and evacuating all those in the immediate area and inside the building to safety.

eThekwini Metro firefighters arrived shortly thereafter at the scene and set about quelling the fire. Teams fought the blaze from all angles, working their way inside the structure to battle the fire.

No one is injured or missing. Paramedics are standing by at the scene until the fire has been snuffed out.

[Photos from Netcare 911]

Also view:

We would like to urge all vehicle owners to view the information on vehicle fire:

• Escape and Safety from Vehicle Fire
• Fire Stryker and extinguishing fires

Two children are in a critical condition after they were trapped in their burning shack in Orlando east late last night. It is believed that their blanket came into contact with a hotplate that was used for heating and caught alight.

When paramedics arrived at the scene they found two children a 5 year old boy and his 3 year old sister with 40% full thickness burns to their bodies. Paramedics worked tirelessly to stabilise the severely burnt children before transporting them to the Baragwanath hospital for the treatment they required.

Also view:

We would like to urge all vehicle owners to view the information on vehicle fire:

• Escape and Safety from Vehicle Fire
• Fire Stryker and extinguishing fires

ER24 paramedics responded to Blouberg Beach where they were called to be on medical standby after the Seli 1 had caught fire.

The emergency crews could see the plume of smoke as they pulled out from their base at Milnerton Medi-Clinic. When they arrived on scene they set up a medical staging area in case patients were brought to the beach by the NSRI, who were conducting the rescue.

While paramedics watched the rescue taking place, large explosions could be heard coming from the ship. The ER24-Discovery Medicopter flew overhead and provided an aerial view of the scene in case any patients entered the water.

A short while later emergency medical crews were then told that the patients had all be rescued from the ship and that they would be taken to the harbour.

Medics from ER24, Metro EMS and Fire Department were dispatched to the harbour to wait for the incoming rescue ship.

The patients were assessed and four people were treated smoke inhalation, of which one was transported by ER24 ambulance to Cape Town Medi-Clinic in a stable condition.

Tristan Wadeley
ER24

Also view:

We would like to urge all vehicle owners to view the information on vehicle fire:

• Escape and Safety from Vehicle Fire
• Fire Stryker and extinguishing fires