Exhausted yet unyielding, firefighters battled through the night as a fierce blaze tore through a nappy and polystyrene factory on Thursday, overcoming water shortages, searing heat and hours of relentless flames in a dramatic fight to prevent a wider industrial disaster. The blaze began shortly after 6pm on Thursday night, triggering a rapid response from firefighters across the Midlands. Despite challenges with water supply, firefighters from Msunduzi, New Hanover and uMgungundlovu fire departments battled the blaze into the early hours of the morning.
When Weekend Witness arrived on scene, brief moments of relief were visible as emergency and security teams provided water to exhausted crews. Firefighters were seen checking on one another and sharing water as they continued their efforts. One of the younger firefighters, visibly flustered, explained how crews were fighting the flames from different sides of the building.
“We have been fighting the fire since we arrived, and it is still not under control. “There are water shortages, and that is affecting how long it is taking to extinguish the fire,” he told Weekend Witness on Thursday night. Another firefighter said crews were already exhausted by 11pm as the fire continued to burn fiercely.
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“The fire just would not die down. We were at the factory until just after 6am, when the next shift took over. It was a very difficult fire to fight,” he said on Friday morning.
Despite the intensity of the blaze and the long hours, firefighters were not deterred and continued battling the flames. Fire engines were emptied within minutes and could be seen repeatedly travelling to nearby fire hydrants to refill. Some hydrants were unusable, forcing crews to travel longer distances for water.
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