Fire brigade under fire

THE fire brigade of the City of Windhoek came under fire on Monday for allegedly arriving late at a scene, causing a shop’s contents to burn to the ground.

Jona Hashiko, owner of Hashi Trading CC, charged that he had suffered damages in excess of N$200 000 when his business and its contents were ruined by the blaze.

Had the fire brigade been dispatched to the scene at Havana earlier, this damage would have been avoided, he maintained.

According to him, the fire broke out at approximately 09h00 when welders were busy fixing bars for a garage at the shop. He said he was not angry at the welders as they informed him that they did not cause the fire on purpose, Hashiko told .

“The problem is the fire brigade – they took too long. When they came here, everything had burnt already,” he fumed.

What irks him most is that his shop is situated just off the main road, Monte Christo Road, with a gravel road connection, and thus relatively easy to reach. “It is not inaccessible,” he claimed.

Upon enquiry, Lydia Amutenya, a City of Windhoek spokesperson, said they only received a call-out at 10h11 – as per their logs – yesterday. “Upon arrival, the firefighting crew found the 20m x 8m dwelling engulfed in flames.”

According to her, three gas bottles were found in the dwelling. However, the fire was allegedly “quickly brought under control before the gas bottles could explode”.

Confirming Hashiko’s version, Amutenya said: “It is reported that the fire was caused by sparks from the welding work that was taking place to upgrade the shebeen.”

Namibian Police spokesperson, inspector Slogan Matheus, said the police were aware of the incident, and police investigators have also visited the scene. At this stage, he said, a case of arson is not yet being investigated, until such time as Hashiko files a formal criminal case.