Plett fires: Fireman’s long road to recovery

A selfless young man who suffered severe burn wounds while fighting Plettenberg Bay’s devastating fires is not only battling to come to grips with the loss of a good friend, but also has a long road of recovery ahead of him, reports the Knysna-Plett Herald.

Ian Barnard, a Plett South Fire Management Unit (FMU) volunteer, was with fallen firefighter Bradley Richards when they were caught in a rapidly spreading fire in the Harkerville area on Wednesday, June 7.

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Barnard’s wife Stefanie said her husband and Richards had been fighting the Plett fires when they saw a wall of flames about 150 metres away from them.

“The fire was relatively far from them, but Ian had a bad feeling about it,” Stefanie said.

She added he decided to turn the vehicle, which they were using to fight the blaze, around. While he was trying to get the vehicle into reverse, the wind had picked up dramatically and the fire was suddenly upon them.

Stefanie said the fire jumped into the vehicle, so the two friends jumped out. In the process, Richards became engulfed in flames.

“Ian took off his jacket to try and protect Bradley and ran to the bakkie where fellow firefighters were waiting.”

Their fellow volunteers took them to the nearest hospital for treatment.

Richards was transported to the George Mediclinic, where he later succumbed to his injuries, while Barnard was taken to George Provincial Hospital and later transferred back to Plettenberg Bay Mediclinic.

“It has been a very tough time for Ian. He and Bradley were like brothers. He is devastated.”

Ian was severely burnt around his face, ears and hands. So far, he has undergone several surgeries, including a skin graft on his right hand.

“The doctors will wait and see how his left hand heals by Monday, and will then make a decision about maybe another surgery.”

She added the ordeal had been very traumatic for his family. “The incident happened on our two children’s birthdays. They are three and six years old and were born on the same day.”

To add to the tragedy, Stefanie said, her own parents, also Plett locals, had also lost their home in the fires.

“It has been a rough few days, but we are truly grateful for all the support we have been receiving. It is actually overwhelming.”

She added there was still a long and difficult road ahead for Ian and their family. Ian will be unable to work until he heals completely. “He works with his hands, so this is going to be difficult.”

Ian runs his own business, Fix It, providing a variety of products and services from welding and metalwork to maintenance.

Firefighters’ bravery praised

Working on Fire file picture: Lowvelder

Meanwhile, the Lowvelder reports that great appreciation has been expressed for all the fire protection associations (FPA) throughout the country.

The FPA assisted rescue workers in the Knysna area to fight the fires since last week. The Lowveld Escarpment Fire Protection Association (Lefpa) deployed local pilots, Rinus van Raaij and Koos Kieck. Quentin Steyn, Bruce Benson and Zayin Vermaak from were also deployed to the area to assist, where they remain.

Van Raaij returned to Mbombela on June 13.

Kishugu – the implementing agent for Working on Fire (WoF), which focuses on implementing integrated fire management – spokesperson Naranda Leeuwner, who has been in communication with the newspaper continuously, said all the FPAs as far as Tzaneen needed a special thanks for their contribution to the team effort.

Both Kishugu and WoF form part of the Mpumalanga Umbrella Fire Protection Association (MUFPA) and LEFPA is one of 13 such FPAs within MUFPA.

André Scheepers of LEFPA confirmed that the WoF team based in Waterval Boven was also deployed to the Cape on Sunday.

WoF spokesperson Lauren Howard said, at the time of speaking to her, close to 450 houses and 21 500 hectares of land had been destroyed.

They had 485 firefighters in 22 ground teams working in areas all around Knysna, stretching from Sedgefield to Plettenburg Bay. It is expected that the firefighters will remain to combat any flare-ups for at least another week.

– Caxton News Service

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