BLOEMFONTEIN: The third fire in just over five years at the Dr Blok Secondary School in Heidedal destroyed its laundry and storage rooms. Braam van Zyl, division chief of the Mangaung Fire and Rescue Service, says an emergency call was received at 19:29 on Thursday, 7 August. He confirms the fire department was on the scene 13 minutes later, with two fire engines and ten firefighters.
He has high praise for the collaboration of members of the Heidedal Neighbourhood Watch who helped to evacuate the children and make room for the fire engines.
“It is great to see how a community is geared to help.”
Private fire services also provided assistance at the scene.
Van Zyl states that it was an asbestos building that burned, and no one was injured.
This fire follows one in June 2022, in which 56 learners lost their belongings due to the living quarters burning. Before that incident, on 11 January 2019, part of the hostel had been destroyed in a fire.
The Free State Department of Education has been working on the reconstruction and refurbishment of the hostel, with the project being prioritised to address infrastructure challenges at the school.
