CBD multi-storey building gutted by fire
A FIRE broke out yesterday morning in a multi-storey building in Cape Town’s central business district.
It took firefighters five hours to extinguish the blaze.
The City’s Fire and Rescue Services spokesperson Jermaine Carelse said the department received an emergency call at 1am.
He said the building in Albertus Street was gutted and there were no reports of injuries.
“A total of 17 firefighting appliances and 70 staff members managed to contain the fire just after 6am. Crews managed to prevent the spread of fire to the adjacent art gallery,” Carelse said.
He said several fire crews were still on the scene and the building had been deemed unsafe.
In a separate incident, on Monday, a body was found after a fire broke out in the Vrygrond area.
Carelse said fire crews were alerted to informal structures alight in Apple Road.
He said five firefighting “appliances” were dispatched with 19 crew members who managed to contain and extinguish the fire at about 3.34am.
“Three formal dwellings and several informal structures were destroyed, leaving a number of residents homeless.
“During the search operations the body of a man was discovered inside one of the informal structures,” Carelse said.