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10 May 2024
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City of Johannesburg Emergency Services crews battle underground fire at M1 Highway in Johannesburg
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Parts of Johannesburg were left without power on Wednesday, 1 May 2024, as firefighters fought to put out a large underground fire that threatening damage to the M1 highway double-decker bridge. Robert Mulaudzi, media liaison officer at the City of Johannesburg Emergency Services (CoJEMS) said, “City of Johannesburg Emergency Management Services responded to an underground fire along the M1 Double Decker Highway at around 07h30 in the morning. The underground tunnel with a distance of about 500m housing cables from City Power was tampered with and in the process caused this fire incident.”
Mulaudzi added, “We had three fire engines and an air truck on site, which responded from the fire stations in the Inner City. The stretch from Empire Road to the Crown interchange was severely affected, leading to the closure of the freeway. Foam was used during firefighting operations. A TLB was used to dig some openings in between the manholes along the tunnel to assist with ventilation and also to allow crews to gain access. We used sand bags, which prevented the water from seeping out of the tunnels and they could flood the tunnels, which helped in extinguishing the fire. The foam helped to cool down the fire temperature but it did not stop the fire. The fire was completely extinguished around 18h00.”
Fire Ops SA were also on scene using foam, assisting teams on site.
No injuries or fatalities were reported during this fire incident.
City Power spokesperson Isaac Mangena said the 200 Celsius fire had caused a power outage with affected areas like Braamfontein, Johannesburg CBD, Fordsburg, Parktown, Vrededorp, Pageview and Melville.
The fire was sparked by cable thieves who burnt the 88 Volt cable running along the sides of the bridge on Tuesday night. However, according to city officials, the fire overwhelmed the thieves who left their tools including a saw and cellphone behind once they realised their lives were in danger.
The fire led to the closure of the M1 between Empire Road and the Crown Interchange. The M1 North was reopened on Wednesday afternoon, while a section of the M1 South remained closed.
Source: Robert Mulaudzi, media liaison officer, City of Johannesburg Emergency Services
Mulaudzi added, “We had three fire engines and an air truck on site, which responded from the fire stations in the Inner City. The stretch from Empire Road to the Crown interchange was severely affected, leading to the closure of the freeway. Foam was used during firefighting operations. A TLB was used to dig some openings in between the manholes along the tunnel to assist with ventilation and also to allow crews to gain access. We used sand bags, which prevented the water from seeping out of the tunnels and they could flood the tunnels, which helped in extinguishing the fire. The foam helped to cool down the fire temperature but it did not stop the fire. The fire was completely extinguished around 18h00.”
Fire Ops SA were also on scene using foam, assisting teams on site.
No injuries or fatalities were reported during this fire incident.
City Power spokesperson Isaac Mangena said the 200 Celsius fire had caused a power outage with affected areas like Braamfontein, Johannesburg CBD, Fordsburg, Parktown, Vrededorp, Pageview and Melville.
The fire was sparked by cable thieves who burnt the 88 Volt cable running along the sides of the bridge on Tuesday night. However, according to city officials, the fire overwhelmed the thieves who left their tools including a saw and cellphone behind once they realised their lives were in danger.
The fire led to the closure of the M1 between Empire Road and the Crown Interchange. The M1 North was reopened on Wednesday afternoon, while a section of the M1 South remained closed.
Source: Robert Mulaudzi, media liaison officer, City of Johannesburg Emergency Services
