Weekend Argus (Saturday Edition)
Locals ready to evacuate as fire chokes Durban
THERE was fear across Durban last night over possible toxic fumes from a massive cloud of dense black smoke which hung over the city, which was on standby to evacuate a 4-kilometre radius around the fire last night.
Despite intermittent rains which started yesterday afternoon, the fire raged on in South Coast Road, and emergency teams battled to contain the flames as billowing smoke travelled in a dark barrel sitting low in the skyline to beyond Ballito in the north.
By late last night, firefighters were working to keep the flames from a fertiliser warehouse.
With 35 fire engines and 125 fire personnel on duty, operations ran late into the night.
The water department made provision for enough water to be available.
Meanwhile, residents contacted sister title the Independent on Saturday to report that an oily/waxy residue, washed out of the air by the rain, was falling onto cars, streaking walls and collecting in swimming pools.
Households are faced with a massive clean-up today, using water meant to be conserved because of the drought.
eThekwini Municipality said plans were in place for an evacuation of residents and the industrial area in a three to four kilometre radius around the fire.
Deputy mayor Fawzia Peer, who oversees the disaster management committee, said emergency workers were on standby to evacuate people. Among the areas which could face evacuation are parts of the Bluff, Bayhead, Clairwood and Umbilo. Residents however, were fearful. Kabir Singh asked on the municipal Facebook page: “Are the gases in the smoke toxic? What effects will it have on Durbanites?” while others posted about the “ashy” substances found on their vehicles in La Lucia, and “waxy globules” in their pools.
eThekwini fire chief Gideon Mchunu said: “The substances were soot and wax, neither of which are toxic.
“We are not experts on atmospheric analysis but we don’t know of any danger posed by these substances.”
A third factory had caught alight around 7pm, with fears that it could spread to a nearby warehouse containing ammonia nitrate fertiliser, which would wreak havoc.
The fire started in a warehouse in South Coast Road yesterday morning and by late morning the billowing smoke cloud hung over the city and could be seen from as far away as Ballito on the North Coast and Umbumbulu on the South Coast.
Firefighters battled all day to contain the blaze, which started on the south end of the warehouse park, razing at least two warehouses containing flammable polypropolene pellets, used in the plastic industry, and paraffin.
Melted wax spilled out of one end of the first warehouse, creating a huge, potentially flammable puddle, part of which eventually ignited.
It also entered the Umhlatuzana River, which was sectioned off, according to Stephan Kichenbrand of the company Drizit Environmental, which specialises in pollution control.
“We’ve put booms down in the river to catch any wax,” he said.
“It’s not oil-based stuff, but we can’t say whether it will be a marine pollutant.”
There were reports last night that at least four people had been injured – an employee from one of the warehouse companies who suffered burns to the hands and was taken to Kingsway Hospital in Amanzimtoti, as well as firefighters who were also hospitalised.
Meanwhile some Durbanites continued as normal despite the threatening cloud, including the planned Hollard Daredevil Run to raise funds for Cansa. Runners in Speedos arrived in force at College Rovers Rugby Club with the heavy cloud forming a backdrop.
Local NGOs and community groups rallied to provide water and refreshments for the emergency workers.