Staff Writer
THE NSRI’s temporary base has been moved to the home of a volunteer after the building they were using was damaged in a fire on Saturday.
NSRI spokesperson Craig Lambinon said yesterday they were still calculating the cost of the assets and equipment destroyed when a laundry at the Shell Service Station next to their base caught alight.
Their new permanent base is under construction.
NSRI Kommetjie station commander Ian Klopper said a laundromat had caught fire, which had spread into the ceiling of the rescue base.
Firefighters extinguished the fire at about 2am.
“The fire raged through the roof causing heat damage, water damage and damage from falling debris, from the burning ceiling, to equipment in our sea rescue base.
“The laundromat was gutted and the wall separating the sea rescue base from the laundromat has been deemed structurally unsafe from heat damage,” Klopper said.
Klopper said a volunteer had made his family garage available to house the NSRI’s assets and equipment until the permanent base was completed.
“It is suspected that an electrical fault in the adjacent laundromat may have started the fire, although this is being investigated,” Klopper said.
“Throughout today contingency plans have been under way to safely store our assets and equipment in one central space, and one of our NSRI Kommetjie volunteers has made an entire garage at his family’s home available to house the assets and equipment for an unlimited period of time.”
Structural damage meant the crew were no longer able to use the building.
Lambinon said the permanent base would be completed in October this year.
“Sadly, we will have to vacate the premises until it can be rebuilt,” Klopper said.
“We will remain operational during this period. Massive thanks to the fire guys for doing an excellent job in preventing the entire building from burning down.”
In an unrelated incident for the NSRI in Port Elizabeth, a man was rushed to hospital with a suspected spinal injury after the boat he was sailing in with two others capsized during a spring tide at the Swartkops River Mouth on Saturday.
Port Elizabeth station commander Ian Gray said waves had reached 3m.
The injured man was rescued from the water by local surfers. The other two men were not injured.
“On NSRI’s arrival it was found that a 5m rubber duck had capsized in waves in 2m to 3m swells during the outgoing spring tide in the Swartkops River Mouth,” Gray said.
“One man was assisted out of the water by local surfers, while the remaining two men were rescued by Blue Water Bay lifeguards on a rescue Jetski.”
l People who would like to donate to the NSRI can contact them on 021 434 4011 or via their website at www.searescue.org.za