AFTER the destructive storm, the Tshwane Pyramid substation caught fire due to a strong wind.
According to Selby Bokaba, the acting group head of communications, marketing and events at the City of Tshwane, an unprecedented storm hit the northern parts of the city in the early hours of Wednesday morning, 20 September.
"This storm caused massive destruction to households in Hammanskraal and surrounding areas. As a result of a lightning strike, the temporary Pyramid substation, which was erected next to Rooiwal Power Station, caught fire and burnt the transformer including the container. The fire then spread to the high voltage yard," he said.
Bokaba said emergency services responded quickly and managed to put out the fire.
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"Power has been restored to Rooiwal Power Station but the rest of the customers, including Rooiwal Waste Treatment Plant and farming communities supplied from the substation, are still without power. Preliminary investigations indicate that the cause of the fire was from the lighting," he said.
Technicians are also currently investigating and assessing the full extent of the damage.
He said they'll update the affected communities as the week progresses.
In another incident, the Summit Grill and Skybar was also damaged by the storm. According to the owner, Stelio Tsihlas, he received a call at about 4.20am in the morning that the shop was on fire.
Stelio said that when he arrived at the scene, some people had already entered the shop and were trying to put out the fire, which had started on the first floor.
"We don't know the cause of the fire, unfortunately the damage on the first floor is very extensive. We are still waiting to find out what caused the fire," he said.
Ald Grandi Theunissen, MMC for community safety in Tshwane, commended the Emergency Services Department for its quick and effective response to the severe thunderstorm that hit the town on Tuesday evening.
"The storm caused widespread damage including downed power lines, uprooted trees and flooded roads. No serious injuries or deaths were reported," he said.
