Cape Town - Firefighters in Bredasdorp struck a chord when they managed to salvage a pink piano from a burning restaurant on Saturday.
The instrument was dragged out of the blazing eatery, aptly named The Pink Piano, where it had taken pride of place in the dining area.
Reinard Geldenhuys, the Overberg District Municipality’s head of fire and disaster management, said after managing to contain the blaze, firefighters went in for the piano.
“We came upon it. It was an old piano and we got it out,” he said.
Geldenhuys said the fire started early on Saturday when staff members had opened the restaurant.
“A chip fryer in a corner started burning… They tried to get it under control, but couldn’t, so they called us,” he said.
Geldenhuys said a section of the building was historical and had a thatch roof.
Worried it would be gutted, he called for a helicopter to help extinguish the fire.
And a piece of the dorp’s history was saved.
Geldenhuys said it took 11 firefighters, along with two fire trucks and a helicopter about an hour to put out the blaze.
He said part of the restaurant’s kitchen and bar were destroyed.
No one was injured in the fire, which was believed to have been caused by an electrical fault.
After being pulled from the burning building on Saturday, the piano could still be played.
Weekend Argus