Local emergency services battled a massive mountain fire threatening properties in Sinoville and Pretoria North over the weekend.
No injuries were reported following the fire that raged from September 27 to 28.
Sinoville Fire Fighters Association (SFFA) founder Johan Botha said the organisation was first on the scene at around 17:30 on Friday.
“We received a message that assistance was needed to contain the massive fire in the mountains around Sinoville and Pretoria North. Our volunteer firefighters immediately responded.”
The volunteer organisation reported that there were no injuries, but the fire came near buildings, with one house losing its thatch roof.
Botha said the team spent over 12 hours trying to contain the fire.
These firefighters and the Fire Department battled the blaze until the early hours of the morning.
“This past Friday and Saturday, our dedicated teams had an intense time battling fires in the Magalies Mountains. We were on the front lines, assisting our community in protecting their homes from the flames and monitoring the situation in the mountains.
“Just when we thought we had the situation under control, a sudden storm with heavy winds rolled in, adding an extra layer of the challenge.”
The scene was cleared by the morning, but the association urged residents to be cautious when making fires.
“The owner of the house that lost its thatch roof went out to get something to contain the fire from doing extensive damage to his property, only to find his roof damaged.
“It’s a lesson to all residents that whenever you come across such a situation, don’t panic and rush out of the house because you will lose all your belongings.”
He thanked everyone who played a role in containing the fire and community members who donated food to the team in the mountains.
ALSO READ: Tshwane prioritises service delivery in Soshanguve
Do you have more information about the story?
Please send us an email to bennittb@rekord.co.za or phone us on 083 625 4114.
For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord’s websites: Rekord East
For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram
