Underground fire along the M1 highway has been contained

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The City of Johannesburg Emergency Management Services has confirmed that the underground fire along the M1 highway near Braamfontein in the city has been contained. Attempted cable theft and vandalism of underground infrastructure have been identified as a possible cause of the fire.

The highway remains closed to traffic on both sides.

@CityofJoburgEMS Firefighters are currently attending to an underground fire incident reported along M1 north Double Decker highway at this stage no injuries reported and the cause of the fire incident is still a subject of investigations. @CityofJoburgZA @CoJPublicSafety (RM) pic.twitter.com/SmpoMMEpAp

— City of Joburg EMS (@CityofJoburgEMS) May 1, 2024

Motorists have been urged to avoid the vicinity of Empire Road and the Crown Interchange. EMS Spokesperson Robert Mulaudzi has further details.

” Right now, we are doing what we call damping down, extinguishing the hot spots. The fire has been contained. We are extinguishing the hot spots. And from there, we’ll check along the tunnel whether it will be safe or far for our colleagues from City Power to start conducting their assessment. We can also confirm that there were no injuries or fatalities which were reported. We continue to plead with our residents to report any vandalism or tempering of the city’s infrastructure.”

Joburg Fire | Traffic authorities advise motorists to avoid Empire Rd, Crown Interchange area: