Fire guts wendy house and container at Verulam car wash

A wendy house and a shipping container were destroyed by fire at a car wash on Wick Street in Verulam CBD on Saturday night, with both structures declared a total loss. Reaction Unit South Africa (Rusa) on Sunday said it was called out to the scene after thick black smoke was spotted billowing from the property. According to the reaction unit, “RUSA received a call for assistance at approximately 9.35pm yesterday (Saturday, 25/07/2026) after thick black smoke was seen billowing from a car wash on Wick Street in Verulam CBD – KZN.” Reaction officers found the premises locked when they arrived, which slowed their initial access to the property.

“The caretaker, who resides on the property, was asleep and was unaware that a Wendy house and a shipping container had caught alight,” Rusa stated. The unit added that once alerted, the caretaker let officers onto the property. Once inside, officers moved quickly to check both burning structures for anyone who might have been trapped.

Their search turned up no one inside either building, as Rusa confirmed that “no persons were located trapped inside.” The wendy house and container suffered extensive fire damage and could not be salvaged. Rusa said, “the Wendy house and the shipping container were extensively damaged in the fire and were declared a total loss.” Details about who had been using the container, and for what, remained unclear following the incident. Rusa stated that “according to information gathered at the scene, the shipping container was allegedly being used by tenants for work purposes, although the nature of the work could not be confirmed.”