A fire broke out at the corner of De Korte and Bertha Streets, just meters away from Mandela Bridge, on Tuesday, September 5, 2023. Five people were hospitalized, but no deaths were reported. According to Egoli Gas, the gas pipeline was immediately isolated, and the fire was contained in 15 minutes.

MMC of Public Safety Dr. Mgcini Tshwaku said, “The Egoli gas engineers were working on a pipeline; this is one of the preventative maintenance that they are doing; that was a recommendation after the explosion at Lilian Nguyi Street (Bree Street). Egoli Gas was instructed to check the integrity of their pipes to see if they were in good condition. It was established that there was a chance of a leak and the pipe was about to be worn out, so the solution was to sleeve the pipe. In the process of covering the pipe, the gas leaked. This was an accident during maintenance work.”

The MMC continues to cite that they requested a safety file, risk assessment, gas analysis, and hot work permits. That’s the safety report we are waiting to receive from Egoli Gas.

In an official statement, Egoli Gas, in conjunction with the Executive Team of Johannesburg, will put extra measures in place going forward to ensure that an incident like this does not reoccur.