Durban building burns in CBD
Residents living in the Durban CBD are recounting the shock of witnessing a building fire in Gillespie Street last night.
Flames could be seen leaping from Rydal Mount at about 9pm. Nicolene Pillay who lives in an adjacent building says eThekwini firefighters were quick to respond to the blaze.
"We heard people screaming and shouting. At first we weren't aware of what had actually happened but about 15 minutes later the alarm went off and there were explosions from the front of the building, there were flames gushing out the window and glass pieces falling all over.
"From the back of the building you could see that people didn't know whether to get out the building or get into their flats. Firefighters got there quite quickly, but it took a while for them to extinguish the blaze," she said.
Pillay's told Newswatch that residents and bystanders were frightened.
"I have two little boys as well, we weren't sure if we should try and get out of our building as well because we could feel the heatt of the flames on our side as well,"
Durban Metro Police say no serious injuries were reported, but a passerby was struck by some falling debris.
It's not yet known what sparked the blaze.
The video below shows firefighters working to douse the fire.
(Photos: Logan Pillay)