A popular Sandton restaurant The Greenhouse went up in flames on Saturday night, sparking chaos as people tried to evacuate the burning restaurant. The fire broke out at 22:00 prompting all the staff members to evacuate. No serious injuries were reported from the incident.
Videos of the burning restaurant began circulating immediately on social media as the popular restaurant caught fire. A popular band Goodluck was playing at the time of the incident. Ameera Jappie, one of the eyewitnesses, said the fire began when the artificial glass ceiling caught fire from the sparks from party flares. Jappie and her sister were sitting outside when the incident happened.
The fire was contained to the Greenhouse and the surrounding businesses were not affected. Security guards who were present at the scene tried to prevent the media from taking pictures of the popular restaurant which had been engulfed in flames.
The local restaurant issued a statement on Instagram saying, “We would like to inform everyone that there has been an unfortunate event tonight at the Greenhouse and that everyone is safe and ok. We would like to thank the heroes and emergency services who helped us tonight.”
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Nana Radebe, EMS spokesperson, said two fire engines rushed to the scene when the first alarm was received at 22:23. “On arrival, the fire had been extinguished, and no injuries or fatalities were reported. The cause of the fire was not investigated as it was extinguished by the people from the building,” said Radebe.
Mavela Masondo, thepPolice spokesperson, said an enquiry docket has been opened by the police. “The cause of the fire cannot be confirmed at this stage. We are still waiting for a report from firefighters and forensic services.”
Source: Eyewitness News, News24, Times Live, image from Eyewitness News
