Truck set alight in Paarl, forest damaged

A truck was allegedly set alight in Paarl on Sunday night, causing damage to the forest surrounding it.

The Drakenstein Farm Watch (DFW) firefighter group received a call at around 11.50pm requesting assistance regarding a forest fire in the mountains on the R301 near Paarl in the Western Cape.

When the crew arrived, they found that a truck had been set alight and the area was on fire as well.

“The crew of the DFW arrived on scene to support the Paarl fire brigade in their endeavours to fight the blaze. As the hoses were already out, it was decided that the 4×4 truck of the DFW would supply additional water to the Paarl fire brigade crew,” DFW said in a statement.

“The truck driver was apparently stopped with a road barricade of stones and he fled the scene. The driver is safe, but the truck was possibly set alight [afterwards].”

Firefighters’ efforts to put out the fire could not prevent the truck from being destroyed.

Police are investigating the events that led to the fire.

The DFW thanked Paarl Fire, the K9 police unit, Fidelity ADT, the Wellington fire department, the provincial traffic department, the Paarl traffic department, and the Paarl SAPS for their assistance.

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