Case of arson opened after fire at compost supplier
The owners of Viewpoint Farming, in Rondebult Road, have opened a case of arson at the Boksburg SAPS after all compost heaps on the premises ignited at the same time, on Monday, October 16.
It was a very windy day and the fire started at around 1pm.
“Fire is not part of our process,” said Silvester Luiz, owner of Viewpoint Farming.
He said the company is equipped with fire-extinguishing equipment.
“We were prepared for this, but due to the severe wind the fire appeared to be larger than it was and the smoke was a result thereof,” said Luiz.
Viewpoint Farming had sufficient water on site to extinguish the fire and worked tirelessly alongside the Ekurhuleni Disaster and Emergency Services (DEMS) to bring the fire under control.
“I salute the Ekurhuleni fire department for working 24/7 over three consecutive days to control and extinguish the fire,” said Luiz.
The fire department has been on standby since Wednesday afternoon. However, Viewpoint Farming management and staff have been working around the clock to ensure that the smouldering compost heaps don’t reignite.
According to DEMS spokesperson William Ntladi, ground operations were put in place immediately on arrival at the site.
“A total of four heaps were smouldering without visible flames, producing a high volume of thick smoke.
“Strong winds were fanning and hampering our progress in cooling and extinguishing the base of hot spots.”
He confirmed that the operations took firefighters through Monday night, Tuesday and until Wednesday midday before the scene was declared safe.
“During operations, water was shuttled using the fire department’s water tankers from Leon Ferreira, Wadeville and Boksburg Central fire stations to support the three operational major pumpers on scene.”
Ntladi stressed the actual cause of the fire was still undetermined.
“However, it is alleged to have been spontaneous combustion.”
Investigations are underway to determine the cause.
No casualties or injuries were reported and the company’s machinery suffered minimal damage; however, Viewpoint Farming is not insured for such a loss.
Anyone with information regarding the fire is advised to contact the Boksburg SAPS on 011 841 6800, using reference number 174/10/2017.
