‘Isidingo’ fans reassured after fire

Fire erupts at the Isidingo Studio at SABC. Picture: Antoine de Ras

Fire erupts at the Isidingo Studio at SABC. Picture: Antoine de Ras

Published Jun 15, 2012

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THE SHOW will go on for Isidingo fans, who need not worry after a fire destroyed one of the sets of their favourite soapie on Wednesday night.

SABC spokesman Kaizer Kganyagoon Thursday said the show was recorded between six and 10 weeks ahead of time, so viewing of the programme would continue uninterrupted.

A fire broke out late on Wednesday night and razed a studio used by Isidingo, destroying equipment valued at about R100 million.

Kganyago said the fire brigade was still on site yesterday, trying to establish the cause of the fire.

“We don’t have exact estimates of the damage yet. We will only get that later,” he said.

The cast had been informed of the fire late on Wednesday night. They were told that one of the four sets they used at the Auckland Park studios had been destroyed.

“The show has several different sets, which are stored elsewhere. It is only the ones they were using yesterday that were destroyed. Isidingo uses two studio floors, so shooting will continue in another studio. The fire will only affect the speed of shooting,” he said.

“We also don’t know yet if other nearby studios were damaged,” he said.

Acting chief operations officer Hlaudi Motsoeneng said a security guard at SABC had noticed smoke coming out of the studio.

Motsoeneng said some of the equipment destroyed in the fire included a vision control booth that had a remote for the cameras, a sound control room, a recording light control desk, a vision mixing bed and a video wall.

The cameras escaped the fire because they had been packed away after shooting, but their cables were destroyed.

Five fire trucks were on the scene to extinguish the fire. There were no casualties.

Motsoeneng told Morning Live yesterday:

“As the SABC, we are very shocked. As you know, financially we are not sound.

“This is something that we don’t know how to handle, but we will get there.” - The Star

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