Fire at Birchwood caused by flammable building material
The rooms that burnt down at the Birchwood Hotel, at around 10.40pm on Friday evening, September 19, contained highly flammable material.
This is according to Ekurhuleni Disaster and Emergency Management Services (EMS) media liaison officer, William Ntladi.
“After the fire was extinguished, it was found that the rooms were temporarily used as store rooms, as apparently part of the hotel is undergoing renovations. Most of the stored materials that burnt are polymers materials, which are highly flammable,” explains Ntladi.
Ntladi adds that the Leon Ferreira Fire Station responded immediately, and found that four of the rooms were well alight.
“Their swift response actually saved a lot of damage to the structure, as the fire was spreading at a very fast rate to the adjacent rooms. Since their arrival, the fire was contained, and the structure never suffered any further damage.
Apparently the fire started in one of the middle store rooms and started spreading sideways to the adjacent rooms. Fire Stations from Farramere and Boksburg Central were also in attendance, respectively, as back up,” he explains.
Ntladi further adds that the fire was very resilient and intense when the first pump arrived on the scene and strong wind was contributing by fanning the flames.
Lindiwe Sangweni Siddo from The Birchwood Hotel has confirmed that the fire that broke out at the hotel damaged a total of seven rooms in one of the blocks undergoing renovations. -@TumeloBoksburg
