By OBAKENG MAJE

The fire that erupted at the North West Department of Health’s provincial offices in Mahikeng today, engulfed part of the basement parking area. The North West MEC for Health, Madoda Sambatha said a preliminary report suggested that, the fire caught a bulk of light bulbs, which were stored in a corner at the basement parking.

Sambatha said, however, what set the light bulbs on fire is not yet known and the investigation is continuing.

“The fire department was called and they were quick to respond. Fortunately, the fire was quickly contained and no other property was damaged. There are also no fatalities as and the evacuation of employees and cars out of the building and basement was also quickly done.

“We would like to commend the quick response of the Mahikeng Fire Department. I am pleased that no other property of the department or of our employees were damaged by the fire,” he said.

Sambatha further said the professionalism and quick response of the Mahikeng Fire Department deserves credit for that. He added that, the challenge has been the smoke coming out of the basement into the rest of the building.

“That is why we quickly requested our employees to leave early to avoid the risk of inhaling the smoke. A professional air quality specialist was called to come and assess the quality of air.

“The outcome of the assessment will give indication of whether to immediately call the employees back to the offices. Employees are therefore only expected to report for duty on Wednesday as Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) will be busy with the air specialist to get rid of the smoke to ensure that the working environment is conducive,” said Sambatha.

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