Rescue workers on the scene where three men were found passed out inside a Hangberg shop.
Three men were pulled unconscious from the Bayview Supermarket in Hangberg on Monday November 7.
Employees arrived at the shop in the morning to find it still closed but they could hear the generators running at full blast, according to neighbours.
The neighbours told Sentinel News that the generators had been running through most of the night, raising suspicions that the men inside - believed to be the shopowners - had been overcome by the fumes.
According to City and Fire and Rescue spokesman Jermaine Carelse, an emergency call was received just after 8am.
“The crew from the Hout Bay Fire station responded to the incident and found two men, at around 8.18am, unresponsive on the premises, and both were in a serious condition – it would appear that the generator was running throughout the evening,” he said.
A third man had been found as the firefighters forced their way into a further section of the building. He was also in a critical condition.
Medics from the Fire and Rescue Service, Metro EMS and Life Paramedics treated the men, who were taken to Victoria Hospital, Mr Carelse said.
A fire safety inspector had been assigned to determine whether any by-laws had been broken during the incident, he said.
The men had not been discharged from hospital and were not available to comment at the time of going to print.