[imagesource: Twitter / IntelliSolutions Africa (Pty) Ltd]

The Greenhouse, a popular restaurant in Sandton, was pumping on Saturday night.

There was live music, people were letting loose, and life was good.

Then, some of the plant decor hanging from the roof caught alight, before the entire restaurant was eventually engulfed and patrons were forced to flee as quickly as they could.

The fire started at approximately 10PM, after which restaurant staff and patrons managed to safely evacuate the premises, reported News24:

Local fitness instructor Jonathan Pooler, 25, told News24 that he and 12 friends were at a table at the restaurant, when he saw someone spraying something in the direction of ornamental branches near to the set where GoodLuck was performing.

“When I saw the first branch fall, I thought that [it] wasn’t a good move for them to spray whatever they spayed on the branches as it sparked the fire. After the one branch fell down, others started falling as well. I immediately told my friends we have to leave,” Pooler said.

A video shows this moment:

Do we still pay the bill?
Happened in Greenhouse Restaurant fire, Sandton. pic.twitter.com/BCP1RRECKL

— Vehicle Trackers (@VehicleTrackerz) February 27, 2022

After 30 seconds, the entire ceiling caught alight, but fortunately, as Pooler said, the restaurant always has its large doors open, “so it was quite easy for all of us to exit the building immediately”.

The progression of the blaze was recorded by people on the scene, with videos posted all over social media:

The Greenhouse restaurant caught fire last night, 24 Central, Sandton Johannesburg. pic.twitter.com/SF7FR315sT

— Up2speed (@Up2speed5) February 27, 2022

Fire at Greenhouse at 24 Central Gwen Lane Sandton pic.twitter.com/B5BlPKiSro

— IntelliSolutions Africa (Pty) Ltd (@intellisolu) February 26, 2022

Greenhouse Bar caught on fire last night 🙃 glad we are all safe 🙏 pic.twitter.com/g4XuvWYvYA

— B_Lame (@Mr_B_Lame) February 27, 2022

So last night was my first time out in Jhb and The Greenhouse restaurant had a fire and burnt down.. #Thegreenhousejhb #sandton #Johannesburg pic.twitter.com/mTmYSltliB

— Shariefah Darries (@ShariefahDarri1) February 27, 2022

Meanwhile, Pooler and others were worried about their outstanding bills, which became impossible to pay pretty quickly:

“I had two tabs opened, which amounted to about R5 000. I couldn’t pay as the fire disrupted everything. I’m sure many people never paid bills, which is not our fault,” he added.

Two fire engines responded to the scene shortly after the emergency calls were made and managed to extinguish the fire.

According to Pooler, some staff members had locked themselves in the industrial fridges while waiting for the firefighters.

Police spokesperson Captain Mavela Masondo said that the cause of the fire is uncertain at this stage, confirming that an investigation is underway.

Some outlets report that it’s believed the fire was started by fireworks set off inside the restaurant.

The Greenhouse released a statement on Facebook, without mentioning the cause:

Comments on the above post suggest that some patrons may have been hospitalised, with claims that one person is in ICU.

[source:news24]