Mapaballo Borotho
The City of Tshwane has confirmed that 23 private buses belonging to a private company were set on fire in Mabopane, Pretoria North, on Tuesday afternoon.
According to reports, the fire was initially reported as a grass fire incident to the emergency department.
Spokesperson for the City’s Emergency Department, Zwelithini Mnguni says no injuries or fatalities were reported during the incident.
“Upon arrival, firefighters confirmed that there was a grass fire, and two of the many private buses that were parked inside the open yard of the bus depot were also involved in the fire. The fire was spreading quickly towards other buses as they were parked closely together, and so the firefighters immediately began firefighting operations, which helped to bring the fire under control.
Tshwane Emergency Services only managed to save fourteen buses. The cause of the fire has not yet been determined, and police investigations are underway.
“Twenty three buses were burned by the fire, some of which were completely burned, and a few were partially burned. The windy conditions also exacerbated the fire spread, but the swift actions of the firefighters helped to successfully stop the fire from spreading and further damaging14 other buses,” Mnguni added.
