Network provider Vodacom has come out to dismiss claims the solar panels at its Century City building which caught alight was the cause of the fire.
On Friday, in a statement released, Vodacom said its preliminary findings found the cause of the fire to be an electrical fault.
The building caught alight on Sunday, July 9, at about 9 am and firefighters took several hours to contain the blaze.
At the time, IOL previously reported the fire which could be seen from many parts of Cape Town was filmed and shared across social media platforms.
According to Cape Argus, at the time of the fire, a few staff members who were inside the building had to be evacuated.
Some Vodacom workers stood outside the burning building and cried as they watched their offices go up in flames.
Traffic was rerouted by Century City security officers and traffic officials as they feared the building could collapse. The ceiling boards could be seen falling and some of the material was still on fire, the publication reported.
But the network provider said it wanted to set the record straight after reports of its solar panels being the cause of the fire was reported.
“It is regrettable that the early speculation concerning the fire that broke out at our offices in Century City on July 9, pointed to the solar panels on the roof being the primary cause of the blaze.
“This speculation has unfairly cast a bad light on solar energy technology. Whilst we are busy finalising the investigation, we felt it prudent to place on record that the preliminary report by the forensic team has ruled out solar technology being the cause of the fire and that it was an electrical fault instead,” a Vodacom spokesperson said.
Vodacom said an update will be issued once its report has been finalised.