Mysterious fire destroys six shops

A mysterious fire gutted a shopping complex in Thohoyandou, causing millions of rand in damages.

The fire, which completely destroyed five shops and their contents in a complex next to the main road, is said to have started around 19:00 on Saturday. The cause of the fire is still a mystery.

Billowing smoke and consuming flames could be seen kilometres away from Thohoyandou. News of the fire spread like the fire itself as those at the scene informed friends through the social networks.

Within a short time, the whole complex was swarming with onlookers, while the fire department from the Vhembe District municipality battled to control the fire. At some of the shops they had to break down the doors as the owners were not present.

During the commotion, thugs who took advantage of the situation had a field day, with some taking whatever they could lay their hands on from the shops. It was only the arrival of the police that saved the day and stopped the looters, who were struggling to steal refrigerators, microwave ovens and other appliances from the scene.

Eyewitness David Mphephu, a security guard who works at the adjacent building, said he smelt something and saw thick smoke coming from a spares shop in the complex. "I was doing my regular rounds around the building where I work when I saw this black smoke coming out of the shop. From where I was, I could see that the shop was on fire, and I immediately raised the alarm and the police and the fire department arrived," he said.

Mphephu said he had seen fires in town before, but that was the worst ever. "I am still shocked that the building I saw intact when I reported for work is now gone," he added.

Mr Alex Nematode, the community services manager of Vhembe District Municipality, who helped in stopping the fire from spreading, said it was one of the worst fires they had ever extinguished. "We are still not certain of what could have caused the fire. The cause is still a mystery to us and subject of a police investigation. We are just happy that no loss of life has been reported," he said.

This is not the first devastating fire in Thohoyandou in recent years. In 2006, Shoprite suffered a severe blow when one of its branches in Thohoyandou was completely razed by a raging fire, causing millions of rand in damage. In 2008, another major fire completely gutted the Nando’s outlet in Thohoyandou. A wholesale and warehouse were also damaged extensively during a fire in town, where millions of rands in stock was lost a few years ago.

The spokesperson of the Thohoyandou police, Maj Mashudu Malelo, confirmed on Wednesday morning that they are investigating a case of arson.

News - Date: 28 June 2013

Elmon Tshikhudo

Elmon Tshikhudo started off as a photographer. He developed an interest in writing and started submitting articles to local as well as national publications. He became part of the Limpopo Mirror family in 2005 and was a permanent part of the news team until 2019.

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