“Those Fumes Look Deadly”: South Africans Spooked by Footage of Hazardous Orange Smoke

• A chemical spill emitted orange smoke, prompting evacuations in Montague Gardens, Cape Town
• The City of Cape Town officials clarified that fumes resulted from an exothermic reaction, not a fire
• Local social media users expressed concerns and questions about the hazardous situation

On Monday, 12 January 2026, a plume of orange smoke caused by a chemical spill filled the air in Montague Gardens, Cape Town, forcing many residents to evacuate the area. The scene sparked concern among many social media users.

After the City of Cape Town stated that a fire had ravaged the industrial area in the Northern Suburbs, Charlotte Powell, the city's disaster risk management spokesperson, revealed that it was not the reality of the unfortunate situation, reports IOL. She also noted that the fumes came from an industrial site.

According to Eyewitness News, Jermain Carelse, the City of Cape Town's Fire and Rescue Services spokesperson, stated that the orange fumes lingering in the air were an "exothermic reaction between the nitric acid and the phosphoric acid" that was in a 10 000l tank.

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Eyewitness News added that while one person was taken to the hospital for burns and breathing difficulties, Jermain shared that the area has since stabilised, with the premises returned to their respective business owners.

Take a look at footage from the incident in the TikTok video posted on WCLive Traffic's account below:

Orange smoke scares South Africans

Members of the online community took to the comment section of the above video with questions and concerns.

@user2008878677455 asked the public:

"So, business as usual in Montague Gardens? My brother works in Montague Gardens."

@darryll515 wondered in the comments:

"Who must pay for the cleanup now?"

@arendbotha told people on the internet:

''It looks like a movie scene."

A concerned @timogg2 stated:

"Those fumes look deadly."

@chica786ct asked what was on many people's minds:

"How did this even happen?"

3 Other stories about hazardous moments

• In another article, Briefly News reported in 2024 that President Cyril Ramaphosa revealed that various shops were shut down following food poisoning incidents.
• Also in 2024, a toxicologist warned South Africans against keeping dangerous chemicals in their homes after many Naledi children died.
• In 2023, hundreds of wildlife species worldwide were contaminated by potentially harmful 'forever chemicals.'

Source: Briefly News