The South African Police Service is investigating a case of arson following a devastating fire that caused serious damage to a local scrapyard, burning vehicles, and other property to the ground, in Canehaven Drive, Phoenix, last week.
The fire occurred in the early hours of Thursday morning, 26 September, with residents in the area expressing concern and shock at being woken up by the sounds of loud explosions. Gareth Naidoo of KZN VIP Security said medical and response teams were alerted to the fire by the fearful residents and attended to the scene alongside the eThekwini Fire Department.
“Sadly the yard was well alight with vehicles and other flammable items burning. Additional fire trucks were called in from Durban as the blaze could be seen from other areas of Phoenix. No serious injuries were sustained during the incident and after almost two hours of fighting the blaze, the eThekwini Fire Department managed to extinguish the fire,” said Naidoo.
Ravesh Devnund, the owner of the property, told the Phoenix Tabloid, that he was devastated by the loss of his business.
“I was informed by one of my workers and security guard that a petrol bomb was thrown into the property around 2.30am. It landed on one of the vehicles but they managed to put the fire out. They realised after putting off the fire that another petrol bomb had been thrown over and had already caused a huge fire on the other side. There was a gas shop within the property that aggravated the fire which caught on all the containers, burning all of them to the ground,” said Devnund.
The business owner said he was heartbroken at the loss of sevarl pets in the fire. “We sadly lost several pets, vehicles, and all our equipment and tools. I do not know who would do something like this to me but I am hoping that the police investigations will find the perpetrators and bring them to book,” added Devnund.
The fire also caused extensive damage to nearby Foresthaven Secondary School, breaking several windows. The caretakers at Foresthaven Secondary School said: “We were woken up by loud bangs in the early hours of the morning and rushed outside, to witness a huge fire across the road, from the school. The blast from the explosion was so intense that our school windows were shattered by the explosive gas containers. We did not know where to go or who to call – we were so scared and bewildered. We stood and watched as the flames engulfed the scrapyard until the fire was eventually extinguished.”
Ward 50 Councillor Lyndal Singh said she was shocked and horrified at the incident. “The fire left a wake of destruction leaving residents in fear for their lives. I received many calls and was shocked by the destruction the fire had caused,” said Cllr Singh.
She raised concern that the explosion and fire could have destroyed the homes of residents had it not been contained by the Fire Department.
“We are so fortunate that the incident did not take place when the children were in schools or during the day when people could have been injured or killed.This could have been prevented if the relevant departments attended war room meetings. A task team with various units could ensure that issues like these are avoided,” added Cllr Singh.
Colonel Robert Netshiunda, SAPS spokesperson in KZN, said: “Police are investigating a case of arson following an incident in which a property was allegedly set alight by unknown people on Thursday. The motive is unknown at this stage.”
