Cape Town - The Public Protector’s Cape Town office in Wale Street has for a second time suffered a fire.
The independent institution with powers to investigate, report and remedy improper conduct in state affairs, said no investigation files were lost.
“A fire broke out at the office,” Public Protector spokesperson Oupa Segalwe said.
“The City fire department was on site to assist. Staff are safe and no investigation files have been lost. We do not know what caused the fire. This is the second time a fire has broken out at that office. It also happened a few years back,” Segalwe said.
Police confirmed that they were not investigating the matter at this stage.
“On Thursday, July 29 at 9.05am, a fire broke out on the fourth floor of a building in Wale Street, Cape Town, where the Public Protector's Office is situated,” police spokesperson FC van Wyk said.
“The fire was contained and extinguished by the Cape Town Fire Department. The fire was confined to the storeroom, which contained cleaning material, toilet paper and sanitizer. There were no injuries sustained by staff members. There were five staff members present when the fire started.
“The cause of the fire is unknown at this stage. Fire Department will send their investigator to the scene to determine the exact cause of the fire,” Van Wyk said.
The City said one person was treated for smoke inhalation and they were investigating the matter.
“While the building was evacuated, crews from Roeland Street Fire Station managed to contain the blaze to a single room.
“One person was treated on the scene for smoke inhalation and a fire investigator has been requested to ascertain the cause of the fire,” Fire Service spokesperson Jermaine Carelse said.
Segalwe added that the building had been leased through the Department of Public Works, which did not respond to several requests for comment on the matter on Thursday.
He said: “We have informed the department to bring this incident to the attention of the landlord. The department’s regional office will go and assess the extent of damage.”
Cape Times