Hundreds of firefighters joined family members to celebrate the lives of the three firefighters who lost their lives as they battled the blaze at the Bank of Lisbon building in Joburg’s CBD last week.
Their memorial service held at Ellis Park Arena in Johannesburg was also attended by Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD) and South African Police Service (SAPS) officials, General Secretary of the South African Federation of Trade Unions (Saftu) Zwelinzima Vavi and Joburg mayor Herman Mashaba.
Simphiwe Moropane, 28, Khathutshelo Muedi, 37, and Mduduzi Ndlovu, 40, had rushed to the building after a fire broke out on the 23rd floor.
It’s believed Moropane was the first to die after he slipped out of the window of the 23rd floor building. It is believed that he had run out of oxygen and had gone to the ledge to try to get air.
The other two men died of smoke inhalation.
The Bank of Lisbon building houses the Gauteng departments of health, human settlements, and cooperative government and traditional affairs.
It has since been revealed that the building was only 21 percent compliant with occupational health and safety standards, as opposed to 85 percent, which was the norm.
The firefighters will be buried on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Source: News24
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