Bluff police issue fire alert

Brighton Beach police has issued a fire alert, following several non-arson related, sporadic fires that have been reported within the wider Brighton Beach cluster policing area over the past few months.

The cluster includes police stations in Brighton Beach, Montclair, Wentworth, Mayville and Cato Manor.

In some of these incidents, the fires have caused partial or full damage to homes, loss of life and belongings, deaths of animals and damage to the environment.

Various factors can contribute towards domestic and veld fires.

SAPS Brighton Beach issued these guidelines to prevent and minimise the risk of domestic and veld fires.

Prevent domestic fires

• Condition your children not to play with matches/lighters or burning candles.
• Store flammable products out of reach of children.
• Do not overload plugs, utilise the services of a qualified electrician and install more sockets.
• Do not overload an adapter, rather use a multiple plug adaptor.
• Report illegal electrical connections.
• Ensure that electrical cables are not exposed and where an insulation cover is cracked or damaged, have it repaired or replaced.
• Do not run electrical cords underneath a carpet, as this can cause a fire.
• Electrical appliances such as an iron should not be left on when not in use, and must always be placed in an upright position while cooling off.
• Laptops, cellphones, iPads and tablets should not be left charging when you are not monitoring them. If full capacity is reached, or they are overcharged, they can cause overheating of the item and socket.
• Hair appliances such as curling tongs, electric curlers, hot brushes and hair irons should not be placed on a carpet/wooden or plastic material while in use, or while being recharged. Also do not charge these items while you are not home.
• Switch off all burners when not in use.
• Do not sleep with candles burning. Also ensure when in use that a candle holder is utilised to ensure proper support for the candle.
• Do not leave windows open with curtains blowing onto a burning candle or a stove where plates are in use.
• When cooking, ensure that flammable items such as oil is monitored and not left unattended.
• Garbage, dead leaves, dry grass patches and wood lying around on your property can stoke a fire on a windy and hot day.
• When glass objects are exposed to sun strikes and it hits the right angle the rays are condensed, which can cause a small flame and turn into a fire. For example if a glass object is left on a carpet/linen (bed) or clothing.

Prevent veld fires

• Do not make fires in areas which prohibit it.
• Man-made fires used for cooking or heating purposes must be extinguished properly as the ashes can reignite.
• Do not throw out cigarette butts or matches into dry, grassy areas.
• To smother an open fire, use sand.
• Do not burn your garbage on a hot and windy day near a veld or open grass area.
• Children must not be left unsupervised at cooking or heating fires as their inquisitiveness could lead to the start of a veld fire.

“As we enter the spring season we find that our environment and the air around us is drier, hot and more windy days are experienced. These conditions contribute to a small fire igniting causing destruction. We would like to urge people to take the necessary precautions to prevent injury/loss of life/damage of property and damage to the environment,” said Brighton Beach SAPS spokesman, Capt Le Roux.