Pretoria – Hundreds of shoppers at the Silverton Mall were evacuated after the storeroom of the Shoprite retailer caught fire Thursday afternoon.
Emergency personnel who were on the scene were said to have had difficulty gaining access to the three-floor storeroom as it was filled with stock.
Five fire stations were said to have deployed 25 firefighters to control the blaze, which was believed to have started around 12.20pm on Thursday.
The fire was said to have started from the back of the shop and went on for hours as firefighters tried to gain access to the storeroom.
Firefighters struggled for hours to extinguish a fire at Shoprite in Silverton. Picture: Bongani Shilubane/Pretoria News
Tshwane Emergency services spokesman Johan Pieterse said gaining access to the shop had been difficult as the storeroom had been engulfed by the blaze.
“The shop was filled with counter stock, toilet paper and a lot of paper materials, which resulted in the fire being rather large and difficult to contain.
“Three members of the community were treated for slight smoke inhalation and one was treated for minor burn wounds,” he said.
Pieterse said the cause of the fire had not been determined and it would be investigated.