Johannesburg - Panic gripped the Isando industrial area in Kempton Park on Monday as a runaway fire raged along the busy R24 and R21 freeways.
Firefighters battled the inferno, which started in the morning and continued into the late afternoon.
Rumours had spread that the R24 and R21 had been closed down because of the blaze, which kept firefighters busy for nearly seven hours.
Rumour also had it that the fire had disrupted flights at the nearby OR Tambo International Airport, but authorities were quick to dismiss this.
Airports Company South Africa spokesman Colin Naidoo said:
“I have spoken to the airport, and there haven’t been any major delays caused by the fire.”
SAA also confirmed that its operations had not been affected by the blaze. “There is no impact whatsoever on our operations. There may be delays caused by other reasons, but not as a result of that,” spokesman Tlali Tlali said.
The fire broke out next to the railway line across from Barloworld’s property. Security guards at the Barloworld Logistics Centre said that what started as a small fire spread to a freight container storage yard nearby.
“We’re not sure how it started, but we noticed it at about 11am a few metres away from the containers. Then the harsh wind blew it and it spread,” a security guard said.
The guard, who asked not to be named, said the containers were made of fibreglass and wood, which could have caused the fire to spread quickly.
Multiple canisters of highly flammable paint and resin were found near the charred containers, of which more than 100 used by Transnet to transport goods were destroyed.
Ekurhuleni metro police department spokesman William Nhladi said: “There were no roads closed as a result of the fire. We heard people reporting that the R21 and R24 were closed because of that fire, but I can confirm that that wasn’t the case.”
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The Star