UPDATE: Road reopened after mountain fire on Amajuba Pass is extinguished
No confirmation could be given as to the cause of the fire, but it has been extinguished and the road was reopened in the late afternoon.
Yesterday (September 17) a veld fire broke out on the Amajuba Pass, N11 (Laing’s Nek) around 2.30pm.
What was believed at the time to be a fairly small fire, caused major delays on the road as visibility poor and officials urged road users to use alternative routes.
ALSO READ: BREAKING NEWS: Raging veld fire causes poor visibility on Amajuba Pass
“By the time we arrived on the scene the fire had spread to both sides of the road and was smoke locked,” explained Multitude Booi, representative of Newcastle Protection Services.
Volksrust 911 emergency group members alerted Newcastle emergency services about the fire which was said to have started in the forest along the Pass.
According to Booi, fire fighters were on the scene shortly after the fire had been reported and no injuries, fatalities or major damage was reported.
“Our teams took the necessary precautions to ensure the safety of all the private residences in the area. Some residences and cars had to be evacuated as a precaution, but fortunately the fire did not cause any major damage,” he continued.
No confirmation could be given as to the cause of the fire, but it has been extinguished and the road was reopened in the late afternoon.
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