Municipality warns against paraffin use

The Randfontein Local Municipality issued a kind warning and some safety tips on how to work with something dangerous such as paraffin.

This after they noticed some concerning incidents across the country where people lost their lives as a result of a fire.

“The municipality is hard at work to ensure that parts of our communities that do not yet have electricity will receive urgent attention in order to avoid people using paraffin and firewood stoves,” said Lucky Chiya, spokesperson for the Randfontein Local Municipality.

The Randfontein Local Municipality would like to remind the community of Randfontein about paraffin safety which can cause sever burns.

How to stay safe with gas in winter:

• Never leave a paraffin appliance unattended;

• Make sure paraffin appliances are on a flat, firm surface;

• Do not put a cloth under a paraffin appliance;

• Always have a bucket of sand nearby when using a paraffin appliance — water will not put out a paraffin fire and can make matters worse by spreading the flames;

• Paraffin fires can only be extinguished using sand or a fire extinguisher;

• Keep lighters and matches away from children;

• Never store paraffin near matches, lighters or lit paraffin appliances;

• Never leave a lit candle to burnout throughout the night or unattended.