by Gill Gifford
Fish tanks exploded, the ceiling melted and shops were gutted in a blaze that has left Lifestyle Garden nursery mopping up millions of rands in damage.
The popular nursery complex, situated at the intersection of Beyers Naude and Ysterhout drives in Randpark Ridge caught fire just after midnight.
The entire venue, which sees thousands of people passing through its doors every day, will remain closed until further notice.
Emergency services spokesperson Harry Annandale said initial reports were that the fire broke out in new upmarket restaurant Trinidad, situated inside the main nursery building.
"Some ER24 guys on patrol saw the fire last night and notified us. We established that there was a fire in the mid-section of the main building," Annandale said.
The flames spread quickly as firefighters battled to bring it under control, but then Overland, an outdoor clothing boutique, caught fire and then it spread to the pet shop next door.
Charles Gibbons, owner of Lifestyle Bird and Fish, said he was devastated by what had happened, adding that he had lost at least
R1-million in stock alone.
"We managed to save all the birds by ventilating the area and quickly setting up fans," he
said this morning as he worked to transport large cages of budgies and lovebirds away.
The heat of the blaze, he said, had caused the many fish tanks in his shop to simply pop. Nothing was left of any of them but burnt metal stands and a floor covered in glass shards and water.
Co-owner of Lifestyle, Oscar Lockwood, said he had gone out as soon as he heard about the fire. He at first thought they would be able to save upmarket decor shop Hothouse Homewear, "but it took 20 minutes for it to go".
"We don't know what happened, maybe a window broke or something, but it went down like the clappers," he said.
A large portion of the roof was destroyed and lay melted in burnt clumps on the floor. Long stringy bits dangled from the ceiling.
Lockwood said work would be done quickly to get Lifestyle up and running again, and that they were thankful that new renovations remained untouched.
On Wednesday morning, bead and craft shop Winter's Craft appeared to have been untouched by the flames, with only the shop's front windows having shattered.
Shop owners arrived early on Wednesday morning and tearfully hugged one another in the parking lot as they were prevented from entering the building.
Annandale said damping-down operations would continue for a good part of the day.