SANDF to help fight blaze in Joburg building

06 September 2018 - 19:55
By Timeslive
Flames are spreading through the building that houses three provincial departments in the Johannesburg CBD on September 6, 2018.
Image: Masi Losi Flames are spreading through the building that houses three provincial departments in the Johannesburg CBD on September 6, 2018.

The South African Defence Force (SANDF) is to render assistance to extinguish a fire that has been raging in a building in the Johannesburg CBD for the past two days and has claimed the lives of three firefighters.

The SANDF said in a statement on Thursday night that the Chief of the SANDF‚ General Solly Shoke‚ had instructed the Chief of the South African Air Force (CAF)‚ Lieutenant-General Zimpande Msimang‚ to make available fire-fighting trucks and a helicopter to assist the Joburg Emergency Services to extinguish the fire.

“The CAF has since authorised the deployment of five fire-fighting trucks to assist the Joburg Emergency Services with extinguishing the fire that re-ignited on Thursday‚ a South African Air Force (SAAF) Oryx helicopter has been placed on standby for aerial fire-bombing and visual reconnaissance‚” the statement read.