Faulty neon lighting on the Telkom Tower in Hillbrow, Johannesburg, is believed to be the cause of a fire that damaged to the structure’s giant soccer ball on Friday morning.
The telecommunications company erected the ball earlier this year to mark the 2010 World Cup.
A Telkom spokesman says the company is still investigating what happened, but it’s suspected the neon lighting sparked, melting Perspex around the glass that then caught alight, dripping down onto the giant ball. Paint on the ball then began smouldering.
The fire department was called in and quickly extinguished the fire using foam.
It’s understood the tower itself was not in any danger given the ball is built around the structure. It’s located on the tower’s 10th floor, where there is no telecommunications or other equipment.
Telkom has no immediate plans to take down the ball, though it’s expected the neon lighting will be switched off until a full investigation of the fire has been completed.
The ball will remain on the Hillbrow tower for another four years. A similar ball on Telkom’s Lucasrand tower in Pretoria will be removed by the end of the year. — Duncan McLeod, TechCentral
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- Picture credit: Axel Bührmann
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