eMBALENHLE – Some people are still not taking precautionary measures to prevent potential veld fires.
Residents from Extension 18 nearly lost their property when a woman apparently burnt plastic cool drink bottles in an open space on Tuesday afternoon, 24 June.
The flames spread to people’s yards and eventually one of the shack rooms of the tenants of Ms Vangeli Mabena burnt down.
They lost everything, but nobody was injured during the incident.
Ms Mabena said residents helped to extinguish the fire.
The Mpumalanga Department of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs requested people last month to take the following precautionary measures to prevent potential fires this winter:
* Do not throw away burning cigarette stubs in an open veld.
* Keep matches and lighters out of children’s reach.
* Do not leave open fires (imbawula) unattended, especially indoors.
* Do not put candles where they have a high chance of falling over, instead cut candles in half and place them in candles holders.
* Never leave paraffin appliances unattended and always put them on flat firm surfaces.
* Do not leave children unattended where there are open fires and/or candles.
Contact the department’s disaster management toll free number in case of emergencies at 0800 202 507.
