Firefighters quell apartment blaze
SEA POINT residents were horrified by a fire that broke out in a living room of the Towers building yesterday.
Those living in the building fled as black smoke billowed from the upper floors.
Isaac Habib, one of the residents, said he saw the fire after he went out to do business outside the premises.
“On my way back to the building, I noted the flames and people were already vacating the building.”
Two tenants, an old man and a woman, were in tears while the firefighters were fighting the fire.
They asked not to be named, however a woman said: “I am worried about my dog that was inside the building.”
City Fire and Rescue spokesperson Theo Layne said the City’s Fire and Rescue Service responded to a flat alight on the 3rd floor of a residential block of flats in Holmfirth Road, Sea Point, at 12.39pm.
“Two fire engines, one aerial appliance and one rescue vehicle were dispatched with 26 firefighters.”
Layne said while the fire occurred in a flat on the third floor, with the upper floors sustaining mostly smoke damage.
“No injuries were reported. The cause of the fire must still be ascertained.”
Jacques Weber of the body corporate said: “The fire services are absolute champions.”
Weber said the first truck arrived within four minutes from the time the fire started, and thanked the Sea Point CID patrol officer who saw the flames and smoke and raised the alarm while running to the building.
Weber said they were not aware of what caused the fire, however he suspected an electrical point.
“We are waiting for our building engineers to assess the building before our residents are instructed on what to do.”