Sphelele Ngubane
Durban - The Durban Christian Centre’s Jesus Dome auditorium was burnt down on Tuesday evening. An electricity fault is alleged to have caused the fire.
The blaze, which started at about 5.30pm, engulfed the multimillion-rand structure, and by the time the eThekwini fire department arrived, the roof had started collapsing. The building in Mayville is a visible landmark on the N3.
National Emergency Assist Services director Regan Stander, who was on the scene on Tuesday night, said no one was injured in the blaze, which lit up the night sky.
“The office staff and other members of the church are still traumatised as you would expect that they have been here for many years,” he said.
A staff member who was in a building close to the auditorium when the fire started said the power distribution board had been tripping and there was an explosion, which was followed by the fire. Another worker who was inside the auditorium when the fire broke out escaped before the flames engulfed the whole building.
When The Mercury got to the scene, some workers were trying to salvage some of the property that had not caught fire.
Others held a prayer gathering outside the church as firefighters tried to put out the fire. About seven fire engines were at the church and a crane had to be used to douse the fire from above. The fire was extinguished by 8pm.
Police spokeswoman Nqobile Gwala said the cause of the fire was unknown. She said no injuries were reported. A metro police officer who was redirecting traffic at the scene was struck by a car and was taken to hospital.
The church spokesman could not be reached for comment on Tuesday night.
Hundreds of emotional church members flocked to the scene upon hearing the news about the fire.
Elisabeth Govender, who goes to the church, said her family was saddened to see the building going down and they had come to witness the incident as they could not believe it was on fire.
“We have been attending the services for many years and it had become our home. We still cannot believe what we are seeing here,” she said.
Another member, Sthe Madlala, said he attended Bible studies at the church’s college and had been told the college section did not catch fire.
“The Bible Institute is fine, but it is unbelievable that such an iconic building can get burnt so quickly. I have been wondering what is going to happen now and where we are going to hold our services,” he said.
Speaking to East Coast Radio News Watch on Tuesday night, photographer Andreas Mattios, the former TV producer at the Durban Christian Centre, said: “The closest comparison I can make to what I am looking at right in front of me now is it looks like the twin towers have come down all over again.
Mattios said the building was the second-biggest aluminum structure in the southern hemisphere,”so to see it come down is absolutely heart-wrenching”.
The incident caught social media users’ attention and it was one of the top trends on Tuesday night.
Our prayers go out to our Pastor & friend Dr. "Gandaganda" Roberts & the entire #JesusDome family during this sad time.GOD IS STILL GOOD.
It's hard to believe that the Dome that greets me every morning around this time, that always brightens the N3 no longer stand 😢 #JesusDome
— Sizakele masondo (@sizakele01) June 8, 2016
@KhanyaChampion said: “I can’t believe the Jesus Dome is burning. Such a central part of Durban, even the location is prime.”
@Nduey_Escobar wrote: “A church in Wentworth was petrol-bombed about two weeks ago, now Jesus Dome is on fire.”
@mohau_motsele8 tweeted: “We pray the church comes back better than it was before.”