A massive fire erupted at the Wilmar Continental Company in the early hours of Saturday morning, June 29, 2024 forcing the evacuation of staff.
The blaze broke out before 2am, according to an anonymous trucker who was in the queue to offload at the factory.
The trucker, speaking exclusively to SA Trucker, described the scene as chaotic and terrifying.
“I was waiting to offload when I saw the huge fire engulfing the factory. Then, there were a few explosions. It looked like some oil tanks were burning as the fire was massive,” he said.
Emergency services were quick to respond to the distress call, with the Fire Department arriving on the scene shortly after the fire was reported.
Firefighters battled the inferno for several hours, working tirelessly to contain the blaze and prevent it from spreading to nearby areas.
The exact cause of the fire remains unknown at this stage, and Wilmar Continental has not yet provided a comment.
Read | Watch: Chemical factory goes up in flames in Jacobs, south of Durban
The extent of the damage to the factory and surrounding infrastructure is still being assessed.
Further investigations are expected to determine the cause of the fire and whether any safety regulations were breached.
This is a developing story.