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30 August 2024
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City of Tshwane firefighters extinguish gas pipeline fire after an explosion, Pretoria West
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The City of Tshwane Emergency Services Department responded to a gas pipeline fire in Carl Street in Pretoria West on the morning of Wednesday, 21 August 2024. Lindsay Mnguni, acting public information and media liaison officer at the City of Tshwane Emergency Services, said, “The gas pipeline fire was reported to the City of Tshwane Emergency Call Centre at about 11h48 due to the smell of gas in the air. The centre immediately dispatched a rapid intervention unit from Philip Nel Park Fire Station and a ladder and a district commander’s unit from Central (Bosman) Fire Station to the scene. The Emergency Call Centre started receiving many calls from the public who were reporting that there had been an explosion. Multiple additional firefighting resources were then dispatched by the Emergency Call Centre to scene.”
“The first-arriving firefighting units found a huge fire that was due to a burning underground gas pipeline. An outbuilding structure was also burning and firefighters extinguished the fire before it could spread to the nearest house. The gas pipeline fire was left to continue burning. However, firefighters initiated evacuation procedures in the area for a radius of about 500m from the fire due to safety concerns”, said Mnguni.
“Multiple additional firefighting resources were dispatched from Innesdale Fire Station, Hatfield Fire Station, Atteridgeville Fire Station, Silverton Fire Station, Centurion Fire Station and Rosslyn Fire Station to the scene as backup. These included two fire trucks, a foam tanker, a water tanker and a rapid intervention unit”, he added.
“Multiple agencies were on the scene to assist with incident management. These included the South African Police Service, the Gauteng Provincial Government Emergency Medical Services, the Tshwane Metro Police Department, City of Tshwane Environment and Agriculture Management Department and the Sasol and Afrox gas companies.”
“Technicians from Sasol confirmed that natural gas was burning under pressure and they assisted by shutting off the nearest valves that supply the gas pipeline. The fire was allowed to burn until the pipeline was empty. This was a defensive strategy to minimise the possibility of a secondary explosion that may have occurred if the fire were extinguished while the gas was still in the pipeline. The fire was extinguished at about 17h31. All those who were evacuated were allowed to return to their workplaces or homes after ensuring that it was safe.”
More than 2 500 police trainees were evacuated after a gas explosion near SAPS Tshwane Training Academy. The national commissioner of SAPS, General Fannie Masemola, ordered the mass evacuation following the gas pipeline explosion at an adjacent business site near the SAPS Tshwane Training Academy in Pretoria West. “The decision to evacuate the trainees, SAPS trainers and members from various specialised units, including the Natjoints Coordination Centre, was taken following advice and consultation from experts. It should be noted that the training academy is not affected and that the evacuation process is a precautionary measure by management.”
Motorists were advised to avoid the area, with Rebecca Street closed between Charlotte Maxeke and Carl Street in Pretoria West.
No injuries were reported. The cause of the fire has not yet been determined.
Source: Lindsay Zwelithini Mnguni, acting public information and media liaison officer, City of Tshwane Emergency Services; The Citizen
“The first-arriving firefighting units found a huge fire that was due to a burning underground gas pipeline. An outbuilding structure was also burning and firefighters extinguished the fire before it could spread to the nearest house. The gas pipeline fire was left to continue burning. However, firefighters initiated evacuation procedures in the area for a radius of about 500m from the fire due to safety concerns”, said Mnguni.
“Multiple additional firefighting resources were dispatched from Innesdale Fire Station, Hatfield Fire Station, Atteridgeville Fire Station, Silverton Fire Station, Centurion Fire Station and Rosslyn Fire Station to the scene as backup. These included two fire trucks, a foam tanker, a water tanker and a rapid intervention unit”, he added.
“Multiple agencies were on the scene to assist with incident management. These included the South African Police Service, the Gauteng Provincial Government Emergency Medical Services, the Tshwane Metro Police Department, City of Tshwane Environment and Agriculture Management Department and the Sasol and Afrox gas companies.”
“Technicians from Sasol confirmed that natural gas was burning under pressure and they assisted by shutting off the nearest valves that supply the gas pipeline. The fire was allowed to burn until the pipeline was empty. This was a defensive strategy to minimise the possibility of a secondary explosion that may have occurred if the fire were extinguished while the gas was still in the pipeline. The fire was extinguished at about 17h31. All those who were evacuated were allowed to return to their workplaces or homes after ensuring that it was safe.”
More than 2 500 police trainees were evacuated after a gas explosion near SAPS Tshwane Training Academy. The national commissioner of SAPS, General Fannie Masemola, ordered the mass evacuation following the gas pipeline explosion at an adjacent business site near the SAPS Tshwane Training Academy in Pretoria West. “The decision to evacuate the trainees, SAPS trainers and members from various specialised units, including the Natjoints Coordination Centre, was taken following advice and consultation from experts. It should be noted that the training academy is not affected and that the evacuation process is a precautionary measure by management.”
Motorists were advised to avoid the area, with Rebecca Street closed between Charlotte Maxeke and Carl Street in Pretoria West.
No injuries were reported. The cause of the fire has not yet been determined.
Source: Lindsay Zwelithini Mnguni, acting public information and media liaison officer, City of Tshwane Emergency Services; The Citizen