Brave community members fight runaway fire

Northam – Courageous community members fought tirelessly to contain a runaway fire that left a trail of devastation as it spread through farmlands near Northam from the afternoon of Monday 28 September until the early hours of the morning of Tuesday 29 September.

The fire started on the Bakgatla-Ba-Kgafela tribal ground and jumped to Khalanyoni Game Ranch. From there it spread to Kameelpoort and Swartklip. The strong winds made it very difficult to fight the fire.

“At one stage, after about 12 hours of continuous firefighting, we were standing with our hands in our hair, not sure what to do… So, we did the only thing we could think of – we prayed. The wind suddenly changed in our favour and we could continue to fight the fire,” Thabazimbi Fire Protection Association section leader in Northam Chris Liebenberg said in an interview with Platinum Bushvelder.

An area of more than 4,000 hectares was destroyed by the fire and the damage to the wildlife cannot be estimated at this stage. “We will only be able to assess the damage to the wildlife populations when we see the vultures circling and/or come across the carcasses,” Chris said.

By God’s grace no buildings, vehicles or lives were lost in the fire.

A huge thanks to every community member who rushed to help control the fire – as well as the Swartklip Mine’s firefighting team.

“There are so many people who came to assist, giving up their own time and risking their own lives. Swartklip Mine’s firefighting team is a big asset to our community, and we are grateful to every person who was there,” he added.