By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA) has successfully relocated several locomotives and coaches to safety after a fire in tunnels under the M1 highway.
The incident occurred in the early hours of Wednesday morning, prompting immediate response from PRASA Protection Services.
A cloud of dark smoke covered a large section of the highway.
The fire led to the closure of the M1 between Empire Road and the Crown Interchange. The M1 North was reopened on Wednesday afternoon, while a section of the M1 South remained closed.
Preliminary investigations found that a cable connecting the Braamfontein substation to the Fordsburg substation caught fire due to suspected cable theft and vandalism.
This after the utilities team recovered tools such as hacksaw, cutter, screw drivers, normally used during vandalism and theft and a cellphone was also recovered from the site of the fire.
“[The] City of Johannesburg Emergency Management Services was dispatched to the scene, but despite their efforts, the fire persisted, necessitating swift action from PRASA Rail. Train crew members at home were promptly activated to move the locomotives and coaches to a safe location to prevent exposure to the fire.
“While the exact cause of the fire has not been confirmed, preliminary reports suggest that the fire may have originated from an underground tunnel housing cables belonging to City Power. The City Emergency Management Services have confirmed that the fire is now under control, with firefighting operations ongoing,” PRASA said.
No major damage has been reported on the coaches and locomotives, except minimal damage to the paint of a few locomotives and coaches due to heat exposure.
We will continue assessing the entire fleet that was relocated.
“At PRASA Rail, we acknowledge the seriousness of this incident, and we are taking every possible measure to ensure the ongoing safety and protection of our personnel and assets.
“We will continue to collaborate closely with the City’s Emergency Management Service throughout this process. Our team is actively monitoring the situation, and we will provide further updates as necessary,” the agency said.
Last year, there were several fires in the city centre, including the Marshalltown Fire in August which claimed the lives of 76 people, calling into question the state of the city’s infrastructure maintenance and security. In July, an underground gas explosion killed one person and led to the closure of Lilian Ngoyi Street
The City of Johannesburg’s Metro Centre was closed in September after a fire broke out and the city had to find alternative working arrangements for many of its employees while it hosted council meetings at other venues.