Kimberley - While no injuries were reported, a fire at Supa Save Supermarket in Barkly West caused damage valued in the millions of rand.
However, for the owner of the shop in the town’s main road, Ced Linton, the fact that everyone was able to escape with their lives remains a miracle after he saw stock worth R2 million go up in flames on Tuesday evening.
While firefighters worked to contain the inferno, Linton said that the damage had been caused by faulty wiring in the building and quickly saw his goods engulfed in smoke and flames.
“Our grocer shares a building with a bottle store,” he explained on the scene. “The electric meters are on our side of the building so when something tripped, staff of the bottle store came to turn the power back on.”
According to Linton, at around 6.30pm, he suddenly noticed the building filling with smoke as the fire spread.
“The smoke became very thick very quickly and we were lucky to escape with our lives.
“We will have to wait to add up the exact costs but everything is gone. I would estimate the damages at around R2 million,” Linton said, adding that he was not insured for the stock that was destroyed.
Meanwhile, police confirmed that members of the Barkly West SAPS had attended to the incident.
“Police are currently awaiting the fire report from the fire department in this regard,” said SAPS provincial spokesperson, Captain Sergio Kock, on Thursday, adding that no injuries had been reported.