LOOK | Over 100 guests evacuated from Gauteng hotel due to fire
More than 100 hotel guests had to be evacuated from a hotel near the O.R. Tambo International Airport following a fire that broke out on the seventh floor on Wednesday night.
City of Ekurhuleni (CoE) Emergency Services spokesperson William Ntladi said emergency officials were alerted to a fire at the Premier Hotel after 11pm.
Two people were treated for smoke inhalation at the scene.
He said two primary responding CoE fire stations crews, mainly Albertina Sisulu and Kempton Park fire stations, were backed up by crews from Farrermere and Boksburg Leon Ferreira Fire stations.
@iolnews Swift action by City of Ekurhuleni (CoE) firefighters prevented a potential disaster last night when a blaze threatened the Premier Hotel, located adjacent to O.R. Tambo International Airport in Kempton Park. 📷: Supplied #CityofEkhurleni #firefighters #PremierHotel #ORTamboInternationalAirport #KemptonPark ♬ original sound – IOL NEWS
“On arrival, the bigger part of the eight-storey hotel building was in a cloud of smoke. Firefighters assisted with the already-in-process evacuation procedures of guests and staff members while other firefighters commenced with the actual fire suppression activities,” Ntladi said.
He explained that flames were spotted up on the seventh floor and the entire upper floor was already at high risk.
“Firefighting hoses were connected from the wet raising water pipeline systems for effective suppression.”
Two of the guests, aged 41 and 60, were treated for smoke inhalation by paramedics and opted not to be hospitalised.
Ntladi said a seat caught alight in one of the rooms and spread to the adjacent rooms and upper floor.
“Currently, while the investigation is still ongoing, it is alleged that an electrical short-circuit from the wall plug where the portable appliance was connected might be the cause of the fire.
“The entire hotel building was ventilated by firefighting crews using a Positive Pressure Ventilator (PPV) to clear the smoke from the building. Eleven guest rooms were identified to have had intense smoke damage,” he explained.
Investigations will continue to determine the exact cause of the fire.
Speaking to IOL, a guest who declined to be named, said he feared for his safety.
“Me and some of my colleagues had booked into the hotel for work. I feared for our safety,” the guest said.
Although a roll call confirmed that everyone was accounted for, frustration mounted in the early hours of the morning when parts of the hotel were declared unsafe.
The first to sixth floors were eventually reopened, but the seventh and eighth floors remained cordoned off, allegedly leaving some guests effectively homeless at midnight.
“It was just a disaster how they handled the situation,” he said.
He said rooms were unavailable, and some guests were given rooms that were already allocated to other guests.
“Eventually, some of my colleagues and the other guests took their belongings and left, choosing to rather accommodate themselves at their own cost.
“Some guests went home and others chose to sleep in their cars, parked in the parking lot,” the guest said.
The guest said the entire ordeal was chaotic and called for staff to be trained and better prepared for emergency drills and undergo crisis training.
IOL News