Police to examine CCTV footage to determine cause of Durban church blaze

08 June 2016 - 15:59 By Suthentira Govender

A police forensic team will examine closed circuit television footage and phone records to determine the cause of the fire that ripped through the Durban Christian Centre. Investigators from Pretoria and a senior team of firemen spent hours on Wednesday morning sifting through the remains of the iconic centre‚ while scores of curious onlookers gathered outside the church.Private security companies and Metro police had their hands full keeping traffic moving past the charred remains of the church.The imposing dome‚ which once was a visible landmark‚ was completely engulfed by fire just before 6pm on Tuesday. It took firefighters about six hours to douse the blaze‚ the flames of which reached about two metres high.Emotional churchgoers had gathered outside the church and sang hymns while they watched the roof cave in.A fireman‚ who didn't want to be identified‚ said the fire - the cause of which is yet to be determined - had caused “millions and millions of rands of damage”. “Police have taken over the investigation‚ it is out of our hands now. This is not a simple investigation‚ they are looking at various possibilities.”Another fire officer‚ who also did not want to be named‚ said the CCTV room and surrounding buildings had been saved from the blaze.“Footage and phone records will be examined to determine if there were any threats.”TMG Digital/Durban Bureau..

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