Fire causes major destruction in nature reserve
The fire was under control by September 27.
The recent veld fires that saw a great amount of the Suikerbosrand Nature Reserve burn and cause a power outage seemed to have started along the R42 next to a nearby chicken farm.
HERAUT spoke to chief fire officer Clement Masinge of Lesedi Fire and Rescue, who provided the following statement:
“The cause of the fire is still unclear, but from its point of origin, it burned up along the nearby hills,” said Masinge.
“We estimated that about 4 000 hectares were burned and because of the windy conditions, we had to fight to tame the flames.
“The damage at Kareekloof is estimated to be around R2-million.”
Lesedi Fire and Rescue was joined by Midvaal Fire and Rescue, private landowners and the Fire Protection Association in an attempt to fight the flames.
“We had around 30 people helping to get the fire under control,” Masinge said.
“So far no injuries or fatalities have been reported as a result of the fire and no livestock has been lost either.”
Around 13:00 on September 26, a power outage in Heidelberg and Ratanda was observed due to burned Eskom power lines.
The power to town was restored around 18:00 on the same day.
Around 11:00 on September 27 the fire was under control on the Lesedi Local Municipality’s (LLM) side of the reserve and fully extinguished the same night.
“I can confirm that the fire is clear on the Lesedi side of the nature reserve and is only burning on the Meyerton side,” Masinge said.
“The various partners are still on the ground on the Meyerton side to support operations of the nature reserve.”
Lesedi Fire and Rescue continued to support colleagues on the ground on the Meyerton side of the reserve by providing water.
