Johannesburg's central business district (CBD) almost lost another of its early 20th-century buildings on Tuesday night when a fire gutted the Marshall Street Barracks.
Johannesburg Disaster Management spokesperson Malcolm Midgley said an unidentified man alerted Kruis Street fire station personnel to the blaze, raging just five blocks away.
Fire fighters were immediately dispatched from the Fairview and Brixton fire stations.
The incident is reminiscent of the gutting of the early 20th-century Drill Hall in Plein street.
The fire there apparently started on the ground floor of the three-storey 1913 structure and quickly grew as the old timber, pressed steel and bricks ignited.
Midgley said the cause of the fire on Wednesday morning remained unknown.
At least a quarter of the building on Anderson Street would have to be demolished.
The Marshall Street facade appeared to be unaffected, although by no means safe, said Midgely.
The provincial public works department owned the building, which was occupied by homeless people. The exact number of occupants was unknown.
Midgely said estimates varied between 100 and 1000, but it was believed the rambling structure probably accommodated closer to 1000 people.
One resident told Midgley he had lived in the building for some time and had "no idea" how many rooms the barracks had.
The building's large inner courtyard area was used as a storage area for hawkers' wares - ranging from shoes and clothing to electronic goods and foodstuffs.
These items literally added fuel to the raging fire.
At one point the neighbouring Bank of Athens building was threatened by the flames, but fire fighters were able to bring the blaze under control before it spread.
"The irony is that on Tuesday night and a few days before that a Johannesburg municipality delegation visited the barracks.
"Possible future uses for the building were being discussed as part of Johannesburg's inner-city rejuvenation incentive Project Blue IQ," he said.
Initially central Johannesburg's police headquarters before it moved to what is now Johannesburg Central police station, the building was then home to the Transvaal Light Horse regiment, and later the Irish regiment.
When the military down-scaled its operations and moved out from most of its Johannesburg premises the building was left empty and virtually abandoned when homeless people began moving in.
Midgley said most residents disappeared once officials arrived. Those who remained behind were hostile and unco-operative, said Midgley. It was later determined that many residents were illegal immigrants.
Police maintained a low profile on Tuesday night, according to Midgley, but he believed a docket would be opened following an SAPS investigation on Wednesday morning.
Disaster management would on Wednesday assess the needs of the remaining residents and help with supplies and shelter, where possible, he said.
- Sapa