Msimanga home damaged in explosion
Mayor of Tshwane Solly Msimanga's home was damaged on Thursday after his neighbour's home caught fire.
The fire was caused by a gas cylinder used for heating.
Msimanga confirmed on Twitter that his family and the family next door were unharmed.
I wld like to confirm media reports that there was a fire at the house next door to mine, it seems like the fire was a result of a gas bottle exploding. Luckily no 1 was hurt & I would like to thank every1 for their concern ans support during this unfortunate event. @CityTshwane
— Solly Msimanga (@SollyMsimanga) May 17, 2018
According to Tshwane emergency services spokesperson, Johan Pieterse, the damage to the mayor's house was caused by heat exposure.
The the house itself did not catch fire.
"There were no injuries on scene luckily but the house was fully burnt down and the mayor was quite shocked due to the explosion.
"Gas cylinders are very dangerous once it opens up and the heat generated from that gas cylinder is quite severe," said Pieterse.
Authorities are assessing the extent of the damage.