Pretoria - An inferno broke out at the Gauteng offices of the Legal Practice Council situated in Pretoria CBD on Monday morning.
Deputy Chief of the Tshwane Emergency Services Department Thabo Charles Mabaso said the building on Paul Kruger Street caught fire at around 8am.
“Tshwane Emergency Services firefighters arrived on scene to find part of the building alight with heavy smoke coming out of multiple floors,” said Mabaso.
“It was reported that some occupants were still trapped between the first and the third floors of the building. Six offices, two on each floor of the ground, first and third floors of the building, were found to be on fire. Firefighters managed to put the fire under control and subsequently extinguished it.”
BREAKING #BurningBuilding. The Legal Practice Council offices in Pretoria are on fire.#eNCA pic.twitter.com/q2n50xToIQ
Mabaso said all building occupants were safely evacuated.
“Emergency medical practitioners treated a total of eight patients on the scene. Two patients, of whom the security officers at the building suspect them of being arsonists, were treated for minor injuries and transported to hospital,” said Mabaso.
“One other patient was treated for smoke and inhalation and transported to hospital while the fourth one was treated for smoke inhalation and released on scene. The Gauteng Emergency Medical Services assessed a further four patients and released them on scene.”
“Only the six offices suffered fire damage, and parts of the three floors suffered smoke and water damages. Firefighters had to conduct positive ventilation to get rid of excessive smoke from the building. The scene was handed over to the South African Police Service for further investigation.”
IOL