Fire ravages another business
2009-04-23
Lise Beyers
WITH the devastating fire at Paarl Print fresh in their memories, Paarl rescue services were on fall alert on Monday evening after another fire broke out at a local business. The fire erupted at the cold-storage warehouse of Novo Fruit Packers in Dal Josaphat, shortly after 09:00. According to residents of Paarl North who rushed to the scene, they had heard a loud explosion. On arrival flames were spurting from the roof of the warehouse and thick plumes of smoke smothered the area. Twenty-one shift workers were evacuated and treated for smoke inhalation, but no serious injuries were reported. Fire-fighters battled to bring the fire under control with gale-force winds pelting the area. There were fears that the fire could spread to surrounding warehouses, or ignite the Afrox gas storage area behind AgriMark in Oosbosch Street. By 22:00 the fire was under control, but not before an estimated millions of rands of damage was done. Willem Bestbier of Novo (part of Colors Fruit group) said that although the damage caused by the fire was a great financial setback, this will not affect their export business. “We have not been able to establish the full extent of the damage yet. “Because of safety reasons we have not been able to enter the site. “Most of the fruit which was in cold storage is damaged, and of course we have lost almost a complete structure and its contents. “We are just very grateful that nobody was seriously injured.”
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