Fire and emergency teams were dispatched to Hilite Job Buyers in Haji Ebrahim Crescent in Athlone again on Saturday morning after a second fire broke out. The busy fabric outlet was engulfed in flames a day earlier, which left much of the fabric and upholstery factory gutted.

“Just before 2am we were called out to Hilite where we found that a large section of the building was burning again. That included the fire that had gone through the roof in the section affected the previous day,” said City of Cape Town fire services spokesperson Theo Layne.

No injuries were reported. Fire services found a security guard at the scene on their arrival, who was unharmed.

The cause of the fire remains undetermined at this stage. Layne declined to comment on whether any foul play was involved, adding that the case has been handed to police for further investigation.

On Friday morning, a distressed Yusuf Mohamed, the owner of Hilite, said the fire became “uncontrollable” and could not be easily doused.

“The fabric is very flammable. The whole building and the stock has been damaged.” VOC