Cause of Polokwane court fire unclear

A justice official has denied that fire extinguishers and a ceiling sprinkler system at the Polokwane Magistrate's Court were out of order when the court caught fire last week.

"It is not true because the person who worked there and who saw the smoke could not reach the extinguisher in time, because it quickly developed into a fire," said justice department spokesman Mthunzi Mhaga.

According to a news report on Tuesday, when court employees tried to bring the flames under control on Friday, the equipment did not work.

Court employees told the newspaper the fire spread and raged out of control very quickly, and that they thought it had originated in an office.

Mhaga said the sources in the report were trying to show government in a poor light.

"As far as we know the extinguishers and systems were working."

Police spokeswoman Lt-Col Ronel Otto said weekend rain had disrupted forensic investigations into the cause of the blaze.

Investigators on Monday combed the burnt-out ruins for clues, Otto said.

Only the outer walls of the building were still intact, and all computer systems, documents and sound equipment stored at the court were destroyed.