THE cause of the fire that ravaged the army base in Pretoria is still unknown.
The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) said the aircraft or museum artefacts which caught fire on Saturday morning didn't cause any injuries or fatalities.
SA Air Force Director Corporate Staff Services, Brigadier General Hilton Smith, said though there is extensive and structural damage to the hangar, no person was injured.
The fire took place at the Hangar No 8 at Air Force Base in Swartkop, Tshwane.
"We can confirm that a general-purpose hangar at Air Force Base Swartkop did not house any aircraft or museum artefacts," he said.
“The cause of the fire is still unknown and the value of damages," he said.
He said the Base Fire Services and the Tshwane Fire Services managed to extinguish the fire to prevent further damages to other vehicles and equipment.
Smith said the SANDF with the support of the Tshwane Fire Services will immediately initiate a Preliminary Investigation or a Board of Inquiry to determine the cause and extent of the fire.
"The majority of the hangars of AFB Swartkops are classified as heritage structures because this was the first established air force base in South Africa," he said.
He said the Base and the hangars were built from the early 1920.
"This loss of the hangar is a setback to the South African Air Force and the history of Military Aviation all over the world," he said.
He said since 2012 the Chief of the South African Air Force, Lieutenant General Zimpande Msimang initiated a programme to preserve and promote the Air Force history which includes former TBVC
states and the Armed Wings of Former Liberation Movements in relation to the corresponding political, social and economic dispensation of the country under the theme embracing our collective heritage.
"One of the fundamental elements in nation-building and cultivating a cohesive society is the reconfiguration of the heritage landscape to ensure that it reflects the diversity and the incredible efforts of the unity of our society," Smith said.
