Careless coal disposal causes veld fire at Rietvlei Zoo Farm

A large portion of the veld at Rietvlei Zoo Farm was set alight during the early hours of Tuesday evening.

Toni Mackrell, the executive manager at Rietvlei, told the Comaro Chronicle that the fire was caused by the careless disposal of coals into the veld.

The coals were allegedly thrown into the veld by patrons at a neighbouring fishing camp, Fun Fishing, who were having a braai and disposed of the coals into the veld.

ALSO READ: Rietvlei Zoo Farm manager shot and robbed

According to Mackrell, the patrons were not aware of the fire they had caused by their actions.

The fire was noted by the people on the scene, including various security companies, who called the fire department to assist with containing the fire.

Three fire trucks responded to the call, and despite the wind picking up, they managed to contain the fire and completely put it out by around 8pm.

The community should be aware of their actions and what ramifications the fire could have had.

Inappropriate disposal of outside fire remnants can potentially cause wide-reaching effects. Always make sure to put all fires out correctly before disposing of the remnants, and do so only in safe locations, it was emphasised.

For more news your way, download The Citizen’s app for iOS and Android.