No jobs to be lost as Ombili Woerman Brock goes up in flames
After a fire broke out at Woermann Brock in Windhoek's Ombili on Monday evening, group general manager Braam van Niekerk assured that no employees will be retrenched in the aftermath of the blaze.
The cause of the fire - which was extinguished early Tuesday morning - remains unknown, but investigations are underway.
In a telephonic interview with Namibian Sun on Tuesday, Van Niekerk said the Ombili branch employs 24 staff members, who will now be deployed to other branches around Windhoek, especially those that require additional support for the festive season.
“We have a backup plan in place," he said, adding that while more information will become available in the next few days, preliminary estimates suggest that the store's downtime could be up to six months.
He said the company is still assessing the extent of the damage, as they were only granted access to the building on Tuesday afternoon.
“Everything lies in the hands of our engineers and specialists, who are currently evaluating the state of the building to see which sections can be used or rebuilt,” Van Niekerk said.
No injuries reported
Meanwhile, in a video shared by The Namibian, Raymond Tapia, chief fire officer at the City of Windhoek, narrated that first responders arrived on the scene to flames coming from the roof, which indicated that the entire building was engulfed.
“Firefighters initiated suppression efforts from two points - at the front and rear of the building. While the contents at the back of the store were destroyed by the fire, the front area suffered only smoke damage,” he said.
Tapia added that fire safety investigators are still working to determine the cause of the blaze. Teams from four fire stations were involved in fighting the fire, which was successfully brought under control without any reported injuries.
In another video, also shared by The Namibian, Ombili resident Jonathan Rooinasie (26) expressed frustration following the fire, stressing the community’s struggles.
"When I saw this place burning, I felt very bad. We are hungry, suffering, and in need of food," he said.
The cause of the fire - which was extinguished early Tuesday morning - remains unknown, but investigations are underway.
In a telephonic interview with Namibian Sun on Tuesday, Van Niekerk said the Ombili branch employs 24 staff members, who will now be deployed to other branches around Windhoek, especially those that require additional support for the festive season.
“We have a backup plan in place," he said, adding that while more information will become available in the next few days, preliminary estimates suggest that the store's downtime could be up to six months.
He said the company is still assessing the extent of the damage, as they were only granted access to the building on Tuesday afternoon.
“Everything lies in the hands of our engineers and specialists, who are currently evaluating the state of the building to see which sections can be used or rebuilt,” Van Niekerk said.
No injuries reported
Meanwhile, in a video shared by The Namibian, Raymond Tapia, chief fire officer at the City of Windhoek, narrated that first responders arrived on the scene to flames coming from the roof, which indicated that the entire building was engulfed.
“Firefighters initiated suppression efforts from two points - at the front and rear of the building. While the contents at the back of the store were destroyed by the fire, the front area suffered only smoke damage,” he said.
Tapia added that fire safety investigators are still working to determine the cause of the blaze. Teams from four fire stations were involved in fighting the fire, which was successfully brought under control without any reported injuries.
In another video, also shared by The Namibian, Ombili resident Jonathan Rooinasie (26) expressed frustration following the fire, stressing the community’s struggles.
"When I saw this place burning, I felt very bad. We are hungry, suffering, and in need of food," he said.
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