Firefighters probing second Durban CBD fire in less than a week
Investigators are probing another fire in the Durban CBD.
The latest blaze ripped through a building at the corner of Dr Pixley KaSeme and Joseph Nduli streets, that is the old West and Russell intersection, at the weekend.
eThekwini Fire's Trevor Stevens says the furniture store was badly damaged.
"We are only about two minutes away from there, but when we arrived, the fire had burnt right through the first floor, up into the second floor and out of the roof already," said Stevens.
NOW READ: Fire, safety guidelines to be assess after Durban CBD fire
He said their main aim at first was to cut [the fire] off from burning the other buildings.
"Once we had the adjoining buildings secured, then we could attack the fire," he said.
A group of about 300 people gathered outside the building while firefighters tried to extinguish the blaze.
Stevens says the crowd then tried to loot the store.
"We had a problem with the crowd, as soon as we started breaking windows and cutting our own way in, [they] wanted to get in and get all the furniture."
Meanwhile, a shop on the ground floor of the old Lonsdale Hotel, also in the Durban city centre, was burnt during an early morning fire on Wednesday.
eThekwini Fire's Trevor Stevens says the furniture store was badly damaged.
"We are only about two minutes away from there, but when we arrived, the fire had burnt right through the first floor, up into the second floor and out of the roof already," said Stevens.
NOW READ: Fire, safety guidelines to be assess after Durban CBD fire
He said their main aim at first was to cut [the fire] off from burning the other buildings.
"Once we had the adjoining buildings secured, then we could attack the fire," he said.
A group of about 300 people gathered outside the building while firefighters tried to extinguish the blaze.
Stevens says the crowd then tried to loot the store.
"We had a problem with the crowd, as soon as we started breaking windows and cutting our own way in, [they] wanted to get in and get all the furniture."
Meanwhile, a shop on the ground floor of the old Lonsdale Hotel, also in the Durban city centre, was burnt during an early morning fire on Wednesday.