Massive fire at Denel Helderberg munitions facility, Sunday
Massive fire at Denel Helderberg munitions facility late on Sunday night
- The ball of fire was seen at about 11pm on Sunday night at the facility just outside Somerset West
- It was reported that there were no fatalities
- Denel has not yet provided information about what caused the fire but state that the fire was contained
A blast took place at the Rheinmetall Denel munitions facility between Strand and Macassar late on Sunday evening. 31 October.
Pictures from the Western Cape’s traffic centre show a huge fireball in the sky over the factory.
It’s not clear what caused the blast but it appears there were no fatalities as a result.
Refilwe Moloto speaks to Rhoda-Ann Bazier, the PR Councillor for Macassar who was on the scene overnight.
When we got to the gate, there were a lot of people standing there, some area neighbourhood watches, the police, emergency services and so forth. There was an explosion inside but there were no fatalities.
– Rhoda-Ann Bazier, PR Councillor for Macassar
Bazier says to date there appears to be no danger for residents living nearby.
Denel has released the following statement
At approximately 11pm last night a fire broke out in a building at our Somerset West site. The fire was contained to the N86 magazine building and was extinguished by our internal fire department and the City of Cape Town’s fire services, who reacted in line with all of our safety protocols.
No injuries or casualties were reported.
The cause of the fire has not yet been determined however police are currently on the scene and we are working closely with them.
A thorough investigation will be conducted to determine the events leading up to the fire. We will share further information as it becomes available to us.
– Jan-Patrick Helmsen, CEO of Rheinmetall Denel Munition
In 2018 an explosion at the facility resulted in the deaths of eight people.
The 2018 explosion lead to an inquiry taking place in May this year investigating the health and safety procedures at Rheinmetall Denel Munition (RDM).
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