Raging blaze in wetlands put out
Abby Skhosana, Groblersdal Fire Department Chief said they dispatched a team to the scene after they received a number of calls from distressed villagers.
LIMPOPO – A fire which broke out in Sehlakwane village outside Monsterlus, Sekhukhune and which posed a danger to villagers for the past three weeks, has been put out.
Groblersdal Fire Station responded to worrisome villagers’ calls shortly after the fire broke out. The apparent cause of the fire was due to a disturbance of the wetland.
Abby Skhosana, Groblersdal Fire Department Chief, said the fire resulted from the disturbance of the wetland caused by human and animal movements.
Skhosana said they dispatched a team to the scene after they received a number of calls from distressed villagers.
“The area is a wetland and wetlands get disturbed when people and animals frequently walk on it. If you look at Syferfontein, there is a large wetland which is fenced off to avoid disturbances. This one is not controlled and as a result it got seriously disturbed. The grass dries up due to people and animals walking on it.
“We understand that there was a veld fire recently which resulted from a fire nearby and it spread to the wetland ” explained Skhosana. He said villagers did not realise the extent of the problem until three weeks ago when they reported the matter to the fire department.
“We dispatched a team of fire fighters and they, together with disaster management personnel and Limpopo Department of Environmental Affairs officials tended to the matter. We were also informed that CSIR came to take samples of the ground for tests last week Thursday. We are awaiting the results of their tests,” said Skhosana.
He added that it was normal for veld fires to occur if a wetland is distured. “The fire has been put out. We will follow up to ensure the situation remains stable,” concluded Skhosana.
Mbusi Mahlangu, Elias Motsoaledi Local Municipality Spokesperson, said there was a programme in the pipeline involving Sekhukhune District Municipality and the Department of Environmental Affairs to fence off the wetland to avert fires.
