Transformer explodes at Joburg mall

A man has suffered severe burn wounds after an explosion at a City Power transformer in South Gate shopping mall in Joburg.

Johannesburg - What is believed to have been an explosion at a City Power transformer in South Gate shopping mall in Joburg has resulted in one man suffering severe burn wounds.

According to eyewitnesses, it had been business as usual at the shopping centre until they were shaken by a loud bang coming from an electric box kept in isolation.

It was then that large blue flames were seen, and a male City Power employee was soon engulfed in the flames. The man had apparently been called in to activate power at the mall.

A vendor outside the mall said a white vehicle with a male and a female inside pulled over near the electric box. The witness, who assumed that the vehicle belonged to City Power, said he saw the man step inside the box.

“Seconds later, he was covered in flames,” the witness said. The man had to be airlifted to hospital but the woman did not suffer any burns.

South Gate shopping centre management said the explosion of transformers was a regular occurrence. Management assured that no shoppers were affected, except that many cut short their shopping due to the power outage that affected most of the stores.

june.hlongwane@inl.co.za

The Star