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Winery building gutted in fire at Stellenbosch Vineyards
A building, believed to be a warehouse, has been gutted by a fire at Stellenbosch Vineyards in South Africa, and while no casualties have been reported, the pallets, bottles, bottling equipment and wine inside the building were destroyed in the blaze.
The local fire service later confirmed that the blaze had been brought under control and that “no serious injuries have been reported”. It added that the cause of the fire was now being investigated by the South African Police Services (SAPS).
In a statement posted on the wine estate’s Facebook page, Stellenbosch Vineyards confirmed that all staff and visitors were evacuated immediately.
“The management of Stellenbosch Vineyards are very grateful to the great evacuation officers and local emergency services that responded to the fire incident that occurred this morning (23 October 2018) on Welmoed Farm,” the statement read.
“We would like to thank all the members of the Stellenbosch Fire & Rescue Department, Police Department and Immediate Medical for their quick response and assistance.
“In terms of damage, investigations are currently ongoing to establish the finer detail, but can be confirmed that all personal possessions were moved to safety”.
Delana Green, operations manager and emergency controller at Stellenbosch Vineyards, said the warehouse manager reported the incident to her and staff and visitors were evacuated.
She added that investigations were currently underway to determine the cause of the fire.
Huge loss for premium wine brands as Stellenbosch Vineyards warehouses went up in flames today. Wines from Ken Forrester, Kleine Zalze, Le Bonheur, Stellenbosch Vineyards destroyed.
— Emile Joubert (@emilejoubert) October 23, 2018
“The process of evacuation was swift, with no casualties. All staff and visitors conducted themselves in an orderly fashion, all accounted for, and allowed the emergency services professionals to do their work,” she added.
Managing director Eduan Steynberg commented: “I would like to ensure all of our customers that immediate steps will be taken to ensure that business continues as usual”.
Speaking to News24, spokesperson for the fire service, Stuart Grobbelaar, said that a call was received just after 10am local time and the first responders were on site within 7 minutes.
He revealed that in total, 25 firefighters attended the scene with a total of 12 fire engines. He told the news site that pallets, bottles, bottling equipment and wine that had been inside the building was destroyed.
Wine writer Emile Joubert tweeted that he believed wines from brands including Ken Forrester, Kleine Zalze and Le Bonheur had also been destroyed in the incident.
Brands within the Stellenbosch Vineyards umbrella include Stellenbosch Vineyards Collection of Fine Wines, Arniston Bay, Arniston Bay Infusions and Welmoed as well as wine sourcing, production, bottling and storage specialists Maison Du Cap.