A 32-year-old Phoenix man is facing charges of arson after he allegedly confessed to setting his Northside rental home on fire on Wednesday afternoon, on 12 June.
The accused, who appeared at the Verulam Magistrate’s Court last week following his alleged confession, was remanded in custody pending his next appearance on Wednesday, 26 June.
Speaking to the Phoenix Tabloid based on anonymity, a neighbour said the incident became volatile after the flames erupted, engulfing the home.
“According to what was told to us by the owner, the man who allegedly burnt the house down was renting the property and after an argument between him and the owner, he threatened to burn the house down. Luckily no one was injured. The man confessed to starting the fire, however, the owner did not open up a case,” said the neighbour.
The eThekwini Fire Department Divisional Commander, Reagan Gunkel, said: “A call was received by the city’s emergency control about a house on fire in Northside, Phoenix, at around 3pm. All emergency services were quickly dispatched to the scene. Upon arrival, the house was ablaze with the fire through the roof. Due to the high magnitude of the fire, additional fire resources were deployed.”
Gunkel said firefighters worked hard to extinguish the blaze and prevent it from spreading to an adjacent building.
“A full sweep and thorough search was done to ensure no one was trapped inside the house. There were no injuries or fatalities. The cause of the fire is unknown,” he said.
Phoenix SAPS communications officer, Constable Carol Mutambu, said: “It is alleged that on Wednesday, 12 June, at 2.30pm, police attended a complaint of a house on fire at Caneside, Phoenix. On arrival at the scene, police found the house in flames. A 42-year-old Indian male suspect was questioned and arrested for arson.”
