UPDATE: Fire causes millions of rands worth of damage at Letsoalo Sawmill
In what was the second fire in our area over the last two days, Ishmael Letsoalo lost millions on his property in George's Valley.
At around 15:45 two children, aged 7 and 9, were playing with matches and candle when things escalated and got out of control.
Initially, the cause of the blaze was unknown, but eventually the two children confessed, according to property owner Ishamel Letsoalo.
The area in which the blaze originated, only had old wood, off-cuts and sawdust which would have meant minimal damage if contained in that area.
However, owing to the the site being located on a hill where the wind was strong as well as the extremely hot and dry weather we saw yesterday, the fire quickly spread to other parts of the hill.
Next to take light was brand new stock that had been shipped in this week, which had already been cured and processed.
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After that had taken and the fire had grown, eight avocado trees approximately 20m away caught light and started burning. This strip where they started burning lies directly under power lines which, other than one pole burning, did not catch fire.
Workers on the neighbouring farms were quick to react, being some of the first on the scene.
Others who reacted quickly, were the Letaba Fire Protection Association (LFPA), the George’s Valley Association and the Disaster Management Centre in Tzaneen.
LFPA were able to dispatch two aircraft, one Huey Helicopter and a Spotter, at around 16:10 who were in the air for just over two hours to assist in putting out the fire.
I don’t know how to thank them
The helicopter drew its water from the nearby dam at Tenby Gardens.
By the time the aircraft had landed, the fire had been significantly reduced and was brought under control.
Letaba Herald arrived on scene at 18:30 once the fire had been brought under control.
The blaze was still going strong however and there was still the risk of the fire spreading to a nearby Bluegum plantation less than 20m away.
To make sure the fire didn’t spread to the plantation, the area where the avocado trees stood, was the focus of the workers who stayed behind to put out the rest of the blaze.
The power lines did still take some damage and Greater Tzaneen Municipality (GTM) sent electricians to the scene to make sure the electrical situation was brought under control.
According to Letsoalo, the flames had been doused by 22:00 but plenty of coals remained until morning.
Upon returning to the scene this morning, the Herald found out that two storage houses had been burnt down in the process.
When assessing the damage this morning, and by simple estimation of what he could see, Letsoalo estimated the damage caused was somewhere between R1.5-2 million.
The full assessment of the damage is set to take place tomorrow.
Letsoalo then had the following to say to everybody who helped in putting our the fire:
“To all those who helped; my neighbours and their labour, LFPA, George’s Valley Association, Disaster Management and GTM. I don’t know how to thank them, out of the bottom of my heart. Thank you.”
This was the second fire that took place yesterday after the Tzaneen Tourism Information Centre was burnt down in the early hours of Tuesday morning.
ALSO READ: LIVE REPORT: Tzaneen Tourism Centre reduced to ashes
