Firefighters battled for more than four hours on Tuesday evening to control a blaze at Durban’s Island View chemical storage depot.
The inferno erupted when three tanks containing highly flammable chemicals exploded at 7pm.
Hundreds of residents on the Bluff flocked to view flames shooting high into the night sky.
Island View Storage managing director Kobus Ehlers did not know what caused the fire, nor what chemicals were in the tanks, but was confident fumes from the fire did not pose a health hazard.
”Obviously forensic investigations will be conducted to determine what caused all of this.”
It was believed that two of the tanks contained solvents and the third contained lubricant oil.
It was understood that firefighters were letting the tanks ”burn-out”.
By 1am, most of the billowing smoke had dissipated and only a small plume and a little flame could still be seen.
Vessels at Island View berths were evacuated as a safety precaution.
About a 100 residents on the Bluff were evacuated, but they were allowed back to their homes about two hours later.
Ethekwini metro police cordoned off all roads in the area, rerouting trucks headed for the Durban container terminal.
”At this stage it is not known whether there have been any injuries or casualties,” the National Ports Authority said in a statement.
A Bluff resident, Ivan Raimbault, said his house, which overlooks the depot, shook with the first blast. This was followed ten minutes later by another explosion and five minutes afterwards, by a third blast. – Sapa