A student and three security guards were injured when part of a Doornfontein building in Joburg collapsed after a transformer in one of the rooms exploded.
The incident happened on Monday morning and Sowetan understands that most of the residents of the building are students.
Emergency services spokesperson Robert Mulaudzi said they received a call saying a transformer was on fire. On arrival, emergency personnel discovered that a substation had exploded.
“... in that process the wall collapsed and around the vicinity there were about four people who were in the area who got injured,” he said.
The transformer was housed in a small utility storage room and the explosion resulted in the collapse of a room and adjoining boundary wall.
“We are told one was a student because the building is actually a student residential area, and three others were security officials who were around the building.”
Mulaudzi said emergency services were not certain whether anyone was trapped under the rubble and would only leave the scene once the debris had been cleared.
Emergency personnel barricaded the area, while others were seen digging through the rubble in search of anyone who might be trapped. Some residents gathered outside as emergency workers continued with their operations.
One resident of the Vuja De building said she was woken up by an explosion just before 6am.
“I ran out to check what was happening because I thought it was a tremor. They happen quite often this side,” she said, adding that this was when she saw flames on the other side of the building.
The woman was unable to continue speaking, saying she was overwhelmed by what had happened.
Another resident said she woke up at about 4am to prepare for work and at the time there was no electricity.
The woman, who asked not to be named, said that just before 6am, as she had finished showering, she noticed a strange smell.
“I went to check. I thought maybe someone was smoking something because it was so bad. I still had my towel wrapped around me. While trying to figure out [what was going on], I saw the security who asked why I was still in the building. I then saw smoke and I ran and secured my important documents,” the 33-year-old woman said.
“I was so scared because there was then a loud bang and the entire building started shaking.”
The DA’s Joburg mayoral candidate Helen Zille, who had also rushed to the scene, said she was concerned about what had happened because she had heard stories about that transformer even though she could not confirm them.
“I am deeply concerned. I have just heard that it is not the first time that there has been overheating at this transformer, with consequences.
“But this time the consequences were apparently much worse than before,” Zille said.
She called for a thorough investigation into the cause of the blast.
Joburg MMC for public safety Dr Mgcini Tshwaku said all of the building’s occupants had been accounted for, with no fatalities reported.
The cause of the transformer explosion is under investigation, Tshwaku said.
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