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20 March 2026
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Major fire breaks out at Twinsaver facility in Bellville South, Cape Town
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A major fire broke out at the Twinsaver facility in Fabriek Street, Bellville South in Cape Town. The City’s Fire and Rescue Service was alerted to the incident at approximately 14:25 on Wednesday, 11 March 2026, according to spokesperson Jermaine Carelse. The TwinSaver facility was affected and flames also spread to nearby vegetation. Carelse said about 30 firefighters were on the scene with additional resources later mobilised to protect nearby buildings and contain the fire.
Suppression efforts continued on Thursday until Sunday morning as the type of materials burning meant the fire took some time to be fully extinguished. Two digger loaders were brought onto the site to open up burning material and help speed up firefighting operations.
Carelse added, “The Incident Management Team (IMT) has set up their Command Post on the business premises. Crews who responded included Atlantis, Lakeside, Kuils River, Belhar, Sir Lowry’s Pass, Constantia, Gugulethu, Epping, Fish Hoek, Brooklyn, Hout Bay, Macassar, Ottery, Somerset West, IMT Type 4 and Milnerton. These crews rotated over the period from 11 to 15 March 2026. Crews should be commended for their efforts as the adjacent properties were protected from the extreme heat generated by the products that burnt.”
More than 70 firefighters were eventually involved in the response, according to MMC for Safety and Security, Alderman JP Smith, supported by specialised equipment including an extendable hydraulic turntable ladder.
"No injuries have been reported and all staff members were safely evacuated from the premises. Traffic services have been called in to close off Fabriek Street. The public is urged to avoid the area for now while emergency personnel continue with firefighting operations," said Carelse.
He concluded, “That fire was extinguished on 15 March 2026 at around 06:55am.”
Sources: Jermaine Carelse, spokesperson, City of Cape Town Fire and Rescue Service; Tyger Burger; Cape {town} Etc
Suppression efforts continued on Thursday until Sunday morning as the type of materials burning meant the fire took some time to be fully extinguished. Two digger loaders were brought onto the site to open up burning material and help speed up firefighting operations.
Carelse added, “The Incident Management Team (IMT) has set up their Command Post on the business premises. Crews who responded included Atlantis, Lakeside, Kuils River, Belhar, Sir Lowry’s Pass, Constantia, Gugulethu, Epping, Fish Hoek, Brooklyn, Hout Bay, Macassar, Ottery, Somerset West, IMT Type 4 and Milnerton. These crews rotated over the period from 11 to 15 March 2026. Crews should be commended for their efforts as the adjacent properties were protected from the extreme heat generated by the products that burnt.”
More than 70 firefighters were eventually involved in the response, according to MMC for Safety and Security, Alderman JP Smith, supported by specialised equipment including an extendable hydraulic turntable ladder.
"No injuries have been reported and all staff members were safely evacuated from the premises. Traffic services have been called in to close off Fabriek Street. The public is urged to avoid the area for now while emergency personnel continue with firefighting operations," said Carelse.
He concluded, “That fire was extinguished on 15 March 2026 at around 06:55am.”
Sources: Jermaine Carelse, spokesperson, City of Cape Town Fire and Rescue Service; Tyger Burger; Cape {town} Etc
