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Update: Clairwood fire extinguished, questions are being asked about pipeline safety system.
The fire that broke out in Clairwood was safely extinguished after it was found to be a diesel flow trough and not a pipeline.
THE fire that started yesterday at 4 Teakwood Road in Clairwood has been safely extinguished. Shaun Venter, of RTL8, confirmed the fire was fully contained at around 10.27pm last night (30 December).
Ward 66 Councilman Zoë Solomon explained that, contrary to initial reports, it was a diesel flow tank that was on fire and not a pipeline.
According to Desmond D’sa of the South Durban Community Environmental Alliance, this has happened all too often.
“In the last six to eight weeks, there have been three major fires in South Durban,” D’sa said.
D’sa said a disgruntled group of Clairwood residents said they were a forgotten community that had been ignored and treated by the government as if their lives were cheap, as they carried the potential risk of injury or even death, as they lived with “cheek and jaw” near the poison. and hazardous pipelines, hazardous trucks, and chemical storage facilities.
Equally worrisome, many said, was the complete absence of an emergency response plan.
“Many residents from afar could see this fire and said no emergency evacuation kicked in and no sirens went off,” D’sa said.
D’sa further slammed years of government inertia and said: “Where is the emergency plan, which has been promised to the community since 1998, for the residents of South Durban. We call on a team of legal professionals who want to assist the residents of South Durban against the government’s failure to provide a safe and secure environment for their families and community,” he said.
This incident has revived calls for immediate action to mitigate the risks to the communities of South Durban.
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