A 43-year-old man guarding an empty building next to Clearwater Mall in Roodepoort died after inhaling fumes from a brazier that was keeping him and a colleague warm during the winter nightshift, police said on Sunday.
Captain Tinyiko Mathebula said he was guarding the Department of Public Works building with his 28-year-old colleague in the early hours of Sunday.
They had been sitting around the portable metal container, also known as an imbaula, that is filled with coals and a small fire to ward off the winter cold.
A person from a building next door along Allen's Nek noticed that something was wrong with the men and called for help.
The 43-year-old man had already died inside the building.
His colleague was taken to the Flora Clinic nearby for medical attention.
Honeydew police have opened an inquest into his colleague's death.