Two men have died in hospital after suffering severe burn wounds in an explosion at a superette in Woodstock last Thursday, September 22.
Woodstock police station commander, Colonel Delvyn Matroos, says the incident took place before 8pm at SR Superette on the corner of Victoria Road and Plein Street, which has been gutted by the fire. Colonel Matroos said the fire started inside the superette and spread to the Saleh BBQ Tonight shop next door.
According to reports from the Cape Argus, the two victims were the owner and employee of SR Superette.
The City’s Fire and Rescue service spokesperson, Jermaine Carelse says several secondary explosions followed the first one.
Mr Carelse says two men sustained 70% to 100% burn wounds and were taken to Groote Schuur Hospital.
According to Groote Schuur Hospital spokesperson, Alaric Jacobs, the two men died at the hospital on Saturday September 24. He said he could not divulge further information.
Last Friday, September 23, the City’s Fire and Rescue Services where joined by the South African Police Service bomb squad to do further investigations into the cause of the explosion which led the fire.
The City’s Mayoral committee member for safety and security, JP Smith says their preliminary investigations indicate that the fire was caused by a gas leakage, after two 48kg gas bottles were found inside the premises. “The gas canisters were themselves still intact, but evidence suggests that gas was possibly been used for basic cooking purposes after a two plate gas cooker was found towards the back of the shop in close proximity to the canisters,” he says.
He says there is a theory that due to the increased pressure of the larger canisters, a leak could have developed. “ Since gas is heavier than air, it is believed that the gas created a ‘blanket’ that crept along the floor until the shop had become completely saturated, including soaking the clothes of the two victims unbeknown to them, as they were standing behind a counter close to the entrance of the shop,” he says.
Mr Smith says the ignition would have come from any of the induction motors used to drive the refrigeration equipment, which would have then ignited the pocket of gas that had filled the premises. “With the sudden expansion of mass resulting, the windows and shop front exploded out to the street, followed by debris from inside the shop.”
He says the neighbouring take-away shop only had smoke damage, with slight damage to a dividing wall, but no structural damage evident.
He says the scene was handed over to the police for further investigation.
Colonel Matroos says that no foul play has been detected.
There was chaos in Victoria Road after the fire as concerned residents tried to find out what happened. Woodstock resident Youssef Kanouni, who has a clothing store in Victoria Road, just 100 metres from the explosion, says it was load shedding at the time when he heard the big explosion from his apartment.
“ I thought it was an accident on Victoria Road. I drove down to the road in the dark and I just saw huge flames. I realised that there was an explosion at the corner shop and the firefighters and Woodstock police were on the scene.”
Another Woodstock resident, Shamiel Abbass, also came to the scene when he heard about the explosion. “It was chaos at the scene, people were panicking, there was debris lying all over the road, a vehicle was burning and the shop was in flames,” he says.
Mr Smith says no complaints had been received for fire safety related aspects at the premises.
He said the use of 48kg gas canisters within a premises is strictly prohibited, with the limitation allowing only for use of canisters up to 19kg.
If anyone suspects any person or establishment operating in a manner that can jeopardise their own safety or that of another, you are encouraged to please report the matter to the City of Cape Town’s Public Emergency Call Centre on 021 480 7700.
