Heavy dens black smoke emitted from the polymers recycling company hanged over the Benoni industrial area on Sunday afternoon, the 19th of October 2020.Disaster and Emergency Management Services (DEMS) Firefighters were currently battling the blaze, preventing it from spreading to a densely populated industrial site in Golden Grove road, East of Benoni. The well alight factory fire call was reported and received via the emergency call centre at 16H02 on Sunday afternoon.Benoni central fire station promptly responded to the scene backed up by firefighters from Nigel, Brakpan, Etwatwa, Boksburg, Kwa-Thema, and Duduza fire stations respectively.
A fleet of twelve fire engines manned by forty-five seasoned fighters was fully engaged in the suppression of the blaze.Currently it can be confirmed that about 200 tons of grease stored inside the 210 litres drums capacity caught alight, emitting dens carbon smoke which could be identified from a distance ascending in the atmosphere. Adding more risk on the scene was the Zama-Zama informal settlement nearby.Residents had to be evacuated away for interim till the scene was declared safe. The cause of the fire is still a subject of investigation. No casualties recorded on scene from both the firefighting teams and members of the public