Arson suspected in massive Denny mushrooms fire
Durban fire fighters have a strong suspicion that arson is
to blame for the weekend blaze that ripped through parts of the Denny mushroom
plant in Shongweni.
"The fire would obviously be some sort of direct burning," says Divisional Commander at eThekwini Fire, Dennis Govender.
"These perpetrators know how to operate, I know the company was looking for some recoupment to retrieve vital information that the cameras could give an indication as to whether the perpetrators were visible or so."
Govender says it took a team of 20 men and women hours to bring the flames under control on Friday.
He says the blaze also spread to the company's warehouse.
No one was hurt.
"Our key aim was to stave off the spread of fire and save the major part of the warehouse which I think we did successfully. The fire spread to 40% of the warehouse and the balance of that we were able to save, of course, you will have subsequent damage due to smoke."
The company's yet to comment on unconfirmed reports online that disgruntled workers, who are locked in a wage dispute with Denny, may have had something to do with the fire.
Govender says the damage could run into the millions.
"The offices were badly damaged by the fires, so I'm hoping they can retrieve the hard drives they were looking for."
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