Mobile service provider, Vodacom, has dismissed claims that a fire that recently broke out at the headquarters was caused by faulty solar panels.
Also read: Fire at Vodacom’s Cape Town headquarters caused by solar panels
In July, a fire started at the office, in Century City, resulting in several videos and photos being posted online.
Shortly after the incident, City of Cape Town Fire and Rescue spokesperson, Jermaine Carelse, as well as the cellular company, said the cause of the fire was yet to be confirmed
On Friday, Vodacom released a statement saying that the investigation was ongoing and that a report was still being compiled.
However, they did confirm that the solar panels were not the cause of the blaze.
‘Whilst we are busy finalising the investigation, we felt it prudent to place on record that the preliminary report by the forensic team has ruled out solar technology being the cause of the fire and that it was an electrical fault instead,’ read the statement. ‘Once the report is finalised, we will issue an updated statement in due course,’ it said.
Vodacom added that it was ‘regrettable’ that the early speculation concerning the fire pointed to the solar panels on the roof being the primary cause of the blaze, as the speculation ‘has ‘unfairly cast a bad light on solar energy technology’.
A few days prior to the fire, the City said there had been an increase in the number of emergencies caused by backup electricity solutions including the battery of an inverter that ignited, causing a local shopping centre to close its doors.
In another instance, solar panels on the roof of a factory caused the wires to arc and firefighters had to wait for technicians to isolate the panels first before they could extinguish the fire.
A firefighter was called on to extinguish a fire at a neighbouring property, after a battery bank overheated due to insufficient ventilation.
There was also a fire on a truck transporting a load of lithium-ion batteries. Firefighters managed to prevent the fire from spreading to the trailer, avoiding a major hazard.
Meanwhile, the City of Cape Town warned residents to take the necessary precautions and be prepared to deal with any incidents.
Also read:
Rooftop of Cape Town’s Vodacom Head Office building is on fire
Picture: JP Smith / Facebook