{"id":51924,"date":"2026-03-07T08:20:23","date_gmt":"2026-03-07T08:20:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/?p=51924"},"modified":"2026-03-07T08:20:23","modified_gmt":"2026-03-07T08:20:23","slug":"several-shops-affected-destroyed-fire-guts-china-mall-durban","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/2026\/03\/07\/several-shops-affected-destroyed-fire-guts-china-mall-durban\/","title":{"rendered":"Several shops destroyed after fire guts China Mall in Durban"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <script data-jetpack-boost=\"ignore\" async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-1669381584671856\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<!-- Africa tv video display -->\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-1669381584671856\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"3579572842\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"auto\"\r\n     data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\r\n<script data-jetpack-boost=\"ignore\">\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<p><h2>Pictures showed shops with destroyed stock and fire-ravaged goods as firefighters doused the flames. <\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>A fire has destroyed about fourteen shops, and twelve were completely destroyed at a China Mall in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN)<\/p>\n<p>The massive blaze broke out at the China Mall in Springfield, north of Durban, in the early hours of Saturday morning.<\/p>\n<p>Pictures should show shops with destroyed stock and fire-ravaged goods as firefighters doused the flames to bring the fire under control.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-china-mall-fire\">China Mall fire<\/h2>\n<p>Divisional Commander Dallas Danielsen from the eThekwini Municipality Fire Services Directorate said firefighters \u201cworked tirelessly\u201d through the early hours of this morning to extinguish the massive fire.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAt around 02:10, the City\u2019s Emergency Services Directorate received a distress call, prompting the immediate deployment of more than 25 firefighters, supported by teams from four northern fire stations. Firefighters arrived on scene to find a fierce blaze already tearing through the complex.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDespite intense heat, heavy smoke, and rapidly collapsing structures, rescue teams fought relentlessly for several hours to contain the inferno,\u201d Danielsen said.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-4362496\" style=\"width:551px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Several-shops-destroyed-after-fire-guts-China-Mall-in-Durban.jpeg 1599w, https:\/\/media.citizen.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Durban-China-Mall-fire-1200x675.jpeg 1200w, https:\/\/media.citizen.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Durban-China-Mall-fire-768x432.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/media.citizen.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Durban-China-Mall-fire-1536x864.jpeg 1536w\" data-lazy-sizes=\"(max-width: 1599px) 100vw, 1599px\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Several-shops-destroyed-after-fire-guts-China-Mall-in-Durban.jpeg?resize=640%2C360&#038;ssl=1\"\/><noscript><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Several-shops-destroyed-after-fire-guts-China-Mall-in-Durban.jpeg?resize=640%2C360&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-4362496\" style=\"width:551px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Several-shops-destroyed-after-fire-guts-China-Mall-in-Durban.jpeg 1599w, https:\/\/media.citizen.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Durban-China-Mall-fire-1200x675.jpeg 1200w, https:\/\/media.citizen.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Durban-China-Mall-fire-768x432.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/media.citizen.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Durban-China-Mall-fire-1536x864.jpeg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1599px) 100vw, 1599px\"\/><\/noscript><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p><strong>ALSO READ: No injuries after fire incident at Standard Bank in Constantia Kloof<\/strong><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-damages\">Damages<\/h3>\n<p>Danielsen said there was extensive damage to some shops.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA total of 14 trading units were affected, with 12 completely destroyed and two severely damaged. Amid the devastation, the city can confirm that no injuries or fatalities have been reported, a relief credited to the swift response and bravery of the emergency teams on scene.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-investigations\">Investigations<\/h3>\n<p>Danielsen said the operation remains active, with fire and emergency services, Metro Police, and Saps still on site to monitor and secure the area, and manage traffic and public safety.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cInvestigators have begun assessments to determine the cause of the blaze, which remains unknown at this stage.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDue to significant structural damage, China Mall is currently closed until further notice to allow for comprehensive safety inspections, forensic investigations, and clean-up operations,\u201d Danielsen said.<\/p>\n<p>The eThekwini Municipality has expressed its sympathy to all those affected and is working with mall management to provide support where necessary.<\/p>\n<p><strong>ALSO READ:\u00a0Mossel Bay fire: Municipality issues strong warnings<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div>\n<h3>Support Local Journalism<\/h3>\n<p>Add The Citizen as a Preferred Source on Google and follow us on Google News to see more of our trusted reporting in Google News and Top Stories.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><script data-jetpack-boost=\"ignore\" async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-1669381584671856\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<!-- Africa tv video display -->\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-1669381584671856\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"3579572842\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"auto\"\r\n     data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\r\n<script data-jetpack-boost=\"ignore\">\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n#shops #destroyed #fire #guts #China #Mall #Durban<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Pictures showed shops with destroyed stock and fire-ravaged goods as firefighters doused the flames. A fire has destroyed about fourteen&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":51925,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-51924","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mzansi"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51924","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=51924"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51924\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":51926,"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51924\/revisions\/51926"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/51925"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=51924"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=51924"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=51924"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}