No serious injuries or fatalities have been reported following the blaze that broke out in the eastern wing of the well-known China Mall in Springfield Park during the early hours of Wednesday, 21 November.
First responders at the scene included the eThekwini Fire Department, Metropolitan Police, SAPS Greenwood, Sydenham and Newlands West as well as private security companies.
EThekwini Fire Department division commander, Bheki Hadebe, said that firefighters were dispatched to the China Mall in Springfield Park following numerous calls reporting a fire.
On arrival, firefighters worked hard to contain the fire and stop it from spreading to other parts of the structure.
Hadebe said: “The eastern wing was engulfed in flames. There were no serious injuries or fatalities and the cause of the fire has not been confirmed at this stage.”
Marshall Security spokesperson, Tyron Powell, said that Marshall Security’s support centre received multiple calls from residents of Springfield Park, reporting that they were seeing smoke billowing from the mall.
He said: “We responded and upon arrival, we discovered that the building was well alight on the eastern side. The western side was not affected much as shop owners arrived on the scene to remove stock from various premises in case looters had caught wind of the fire and moved to take advantage of the situation. We can confirm that there were no initial reports of injuries or fatalities.”
Powell added that the east wing of the building was attended to by SAPS, who confirmed that parts of the wing have been damaged extensively. The cost of the damages is estimated at millions of rands.
Many patrons flooded the comment sections of social media posts, stating that it is heartbreaking to see their China Mall being engulfed in flames.
Facebook user, Hannah Johnson, said that it is extremely sad to know that due to the fire, there will be dozens of people unemployed during the festive season.
She said: “The mall was not just a place to shop for the community, but a place where people were employed and could make an honest living. As we get close to the festive season, it is heartbreaking that there will be so many employees without a job and, more importantly, without money to provide for their families. It is truly heartbreaking.”
