An explosion at the retail store warehouse in Cecil Morgan Drive, Brackenfell left one man dead and three other workers injured on Tuesday May 15.
It is believed that a fault in the transformer room was the cause of the explosion.
An electrical company was called to attend to the problem, workers then heard the explosion and managed to escape the burning warehouse.
However, the City of Cape Town’s Fire and Rescue services spokesperson Theo Layne said the cause of the fire had not been determined and that the matter had been handed over to South African Police Services(SAPS) for investigation.
“The main transformer room was in flames when firefighters arrived on the scene and the fire was extinguished within 45 minutes after arrival. The exact cause of the fire had not been determined and the incident was handed over to SAPS for their investigation,” he said.
According to ER24 spokesman, Russel Meiring, paramedics arrived at scene and found firefighters battling the blaze.
The firefighters broke down an area in the warehouse, allowing the rest of the workers to escape the flames.
However on further inspection, paramedics found a man lying inside the depot who was declared dead.
A man was found with serious burn wounds to his head, leaving him in a critical condition while another man and woman had sustained moderate burn wounds.
Mr Meiring said: “Paramedics treated the patients and provided the critically injured man with advanced life support interventions. Once treated, the patients were transported to a nearby private hospital.”
Brackenfell SAPS Captain Erica Crous said an inquest docket was opened on Tuesday May 15 and was being investigated.
