Eskom confirms fire at Majuba power plant, but says it was quickly put out

A fire broke out at the Majuba power station in Mpumalanga but was quickly extinguished, Eskom said on Friday evening.

A 30-second video posted on Twitter showed thick black smoke coming from the plant. The person apparently filming the video comments that it was “unit 6".

Eskom spokesperson Sikonathi Mantshantsha confirmed that the video was legitimate.

“Yes, @Eskom_SA can confirm that on Wednesday a fire broke out on unit 6. It was quickly brought under control after causing minimal damage and the unit was then returned to service. It has since been back on load,” he tweeted.

This is not the first time there had been a fire at Majuba. In mid-December, a fire broke out on the incline conveyor belt system from the rail offloading facility. It was also quickly extinguished, Eskom said.