Since Friday morning, a thick cloud of smoke has blackened Durban’s city skyline.

Considered one of the biggest fires in South Africa’s industrial history, a candle wax factory caught alight at around 9:3oAM on Friday and has been ablaze ever since.

Although the fire department has had the fire under control all weekend, SABC reports it will still take a couple of days for it to fully extinguish. Around 400 firefighters have been tirelessly working 15-hour-long shifts.

TimesLive published this drone footage of the fire:

That billowing smoke looks mighty dangerous.

Sowetan Live reports that, although many residents of Durban and beyond were worried about the health implications of the smoke, Alex Gloster, a Durban Fire Department commander, said checks done by the city showed there were no risks:

Readings showed there was no health risk. There was a smoke [inhalation] risk, but not a chemical risk. There is no direct health risk. The smoke is not noxious or toxic that would leave people in hospital or anything like that.

The KZN environmental affairs department confirmed last night it would be assessing the risks, as would the eThekwini municipality.

Check out the extent of the smoke:

Crazy. Luckily no one has yet been harmed.

[source:timeslive&sabcnews]