Fire brings CBD to a standstill

A FIRE in the centre of Cape Town’s CBD brought the city to a standstill on Monday. 

Mense posted the blaze at the high-rise building on the corner of Bree Street and Hans Strijdom on social media just after 12pm.

Motorists were detoured from the area and pedestrians were ushered away from the scene as the fire ravaged the building.

Dramatic scenes showed the flames engulfing the top four floors, but it seemed to be confined to only one section of the highrise. 

Firefighters arrived on scene around 12.30pm and reported that fire was contained just before 2pm. 

The Fire and Rescue Services spokesperson Jermaine Carelse said that fortunately no one was injured. 

He said: “The fire in the Cape Town CBD, at the corner of Hans Strijdom and Bree, has been contained.

“The incident was reported at around 12:20 of a building alight.

Crews from Roeland Street and Salt River responded with a specialized vehicle.

“The fire was located in the external ventilation ducting system – firefighters managed to access it so that active firefighting could take place.

“No injuries were reported and the cause of the fire is unknown at this stage.”