Walmer residents shaken by explosion at scrapyard

Walmer residents were rattled on Tuesday by an explosion at a nearby scrapyard which shook the windows and floorboards of neighbouring houses.

A loud bang at about 7.30pm, believed to be an explosion caused by a gas canister at a scrapyard in Heugh Road, startled the residents.

Desiree Jacoby, who lives between Sixth and Seventh avenues, said the noise was so loud it shook her windows.

“At first we thought it was a car accident, which is a common occurrence on the corner of Sixth Avenue and Prospect Road, but it was an unusual noise — it sounded like an explosion,” Jacoby said.

She said after the bang, tenants living on her property immediately came to her and asked if she knew what had happened.

“It was quite scary. We were all rattled,” she said.

Jacoby said that shortly after the explosion residents on a community WhatsApp group confirmed there had been a fire at the scrapyard and the explosion came from there.

Another resident, who did not want to be named, said when the explosion happened “it felt like an earthquake”.

A third resident said everyone in the house was shocked.

“Our wooden floors vibrated and the windows rattled.”

She said it was the first time she had heard something like it in Walmer.

Michael Bain, the owner of M & B Scrap Metals, said he was alerted to the situation at his scrapyard by people who live on the property, situated between Seventh and Eighth avenues, that there was a fire and an explosion.

Bain said a pile of rubble on the premises that had been due to be moved to the Arlington tip yesterday morning had caught alight, leading to the explosion.

He said it appeared someone walking past might have dropped a cigarette butt on it, which caused a small fire.

Bain said he suspected a gas bottle might have been at the bottom of the pile of rubble, despite them not accepting gas canisters at the site.

“We don’t buy gas bottles because they are a safety hazard and have no resale value,” he said.

The fire was quickly put out by firefighters.

It was the first time such an incident had happened at the premises, Bain said, adding that arson was not suspected.

Police spokesperson Captain Sandra Janse van Rensburg said because no-one was injured, there would be no further investigation.

She said fires occurred regularly at the scrapyard and confirmed that arson had been ruled out.