The fire allegedly broke out when flames from a street vendor’s stove burnt the grass only to torch the nearest car which ended up causing endless destruction.
The fire had swept through the spectators' designated parking with dozens of vehicles burnt beyond recognition.
The Monitor crew arrived at the scene just as the fire had started burning the first few cars. In a split second, the fire had spread towards more vehicles creating a towering flame sweeping across the lot. The fire sent a thick plume of black smoke into the air as dozens of cars burnt to the ground. The sight of the black smoke attracted more people to the scene but there was nothing they could do as the fire crew could not respond in time to avert the situation. Batswana wanted to help extinguish the flames but it was way too dangerous for anyone to approach the raging inferno.
Most of the car owners were not on the scene when the fire started. Cars which were at the far end could not be saved. Some of the spectators helped to save at least two vehicles which were just about to catch fire. The two vehicles were a Toyota GD6 and a Toyota Wish. People helped push the cars away from the fire smashing the GD6's window to move it out of the way as the owner was nowhere in sight.
Some car owners arrived at an apocalyptic scene where they found their incinerated cars charred down to the metal. The interiors, paint, tyres and other valuables they had left in the car were nothing but a pile of ash. It was a sorry sight as some collapsed on the scene and couldn’t believe that they were left with just the keys in their hands. For some who had travelled distances just to see the race, seeing their property in an unrecognisable state was too much to handle while others had borrowed cars, with others facing the nightmare that comes with having not insured their vehicles.
Jwaneng Police Station commander Thuso Basupi told The Monitor that they are yet to assess the damage and determine the cause of the fire. He also confirmed that the official number of cars which burnt down is up to 49. He said at the moment they could not tell for certain what caused the fire. He asked people who have information to come forward and help with investigations. Basupi also confirmed that there are no casualties.
While it was too little too late when the fire department arrived, a source who works at the Jwaneng Town Council told The Monitor on the sidelines that there was nothing that could have been done because the three fire truck engines that the council has are not working. The source revealed that they use only one vehicle which accommodates only two people. “Even if they had arrived in time, two people could not have fought that fire. They can’t fix the engines because the council always cries about low budget,” the source indicated. The word around was also that the council allegedly failed to clear the grass in the parking area where the cars burnt to ashes. Efforts to get a comment from the council’s communications team hit a snag when they revealed that they are awaiting an official statement from their superiors. Efforts to also get a comment from the mayor, who was on the ground, proved futile as she was said to be attending endless meetings following the incident.
