Four people have been injured and transported to nearby hospitals, after a transformer exploded in a building at the intersection of Lower Railway Road and Staib Street, New Doornfontein.
According to the Johannesburg Emergency Management Services (EMS) the building is used as a student accommodation.
The EMS says its officers immediately initiated firefighting operations during their arrival at the building, and the fire has since been extinguished.
“The transformer was housed within a small utility storage room. The explosion allegedly caused the collapse of a room and adjoining boundary wall. All residents in the immediate vicinity have been evacuated to a nearby building, and so far, everyone has been accounted for. Four individuals sustained injuries during the incident and were transported by Gauteng Provincial Government ambulance services to nearby hospitals,” said EMS spokesperson, Xolani Khumalo.
In addition, Khumalo said that matters pertaining to the transformer explosion have been handed over to City Power for management, investigation, and remediation.
She said emergency services will remain on site to “conduct operational assessments and ensuring site safety.”
The cause of the explosion has not yet been determined.
