#Durbanfire: eThekwini warns nearby residents to stay indoors

Black smoke emanating from the fire has been hanging over Durban since Friday, sparking concern about pollution and health risks among Durbanites.

The unit's Neil Larratt says if the plume is not visible in your area or is fairly high up, it's not necessary to stay indoors.

Some residents have had their homes and cars covered in soot as the smoke wafts across Durban. Some also woke up to find dark, greasy layers of wax floating in their swimming pools.

But Larratt says residents should not panic. 

"As soon as intermittent rain happened, the rain water would have moved through the plume. Pollutants in the plume would have been washed out. Certainly, in some parts of Durban - the northern areas - where it has been washed out and you can see it on the walls of homes and motor vehicles," he said. 

Meanwhile, the KZN Department of Environmental Affairs says there is no indication at this stage that there is a concentration of pollutants on the ground from the black smoke.

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Spokesperson for the department, Bongani Tembe says there municipality's Air Quality Monitoring Unit  has been monitoring the situation closely.

"We would like to assure our communities in and around Durban that there's no need to panic. There's no indication at this stage that there's a concentration of pollutants on the ground. However, we will continue to monitor the situation as the smoke subsides," he said.