Possible disaster averted in Marloth
On Saturday the quick response of local organisations and residents prevented a veld fire that could have devastated most of the area, including structures and businesses.
MARLOTH PARK – Saturday was marked as a red day due to strong winds followed by a cold front moving in. The vegetation in the area is extremely dry and with the strong crosswinds, it could easily have gotten out of control.
The fire was reported by WA en Genote around 13:50 in the Maroela compound on a nearby farm after they had been alerted by Johan Hamman.
By then the winds were blowing the fire towards Marloth. Antonio Lira contacted the farmers in the area. They were quick to assist.
“We are eternally grateful for their help in both cases as the fire flared up again in Mispel Street where some houses were in danger,” said Nadine Edgecombe of Marloth Community Police Forum (CPF).
The Marloth Park homeowners came to assist in any way they could. By 19:45 the fire had started up again, close to some houses. Again everyone was ready to protect the structures. The battle continued until close to midnight when all possible dangers were finally extinguished.
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The next morning, Pat Vorster of Marloth CPF went to assess the situation with Nkomazi Rangers. The rangers, CPF and Abel Coetzee of the fire team made sure the last of the tree stumps were completely doused with water.
Edgecombe would like to thank the following people and companies for their assistance: Frits Koekemoer of LowMed EMS for organising Nkomazi Fire from Tonga as well as water trucks, MBM Protection for both water trucks, Neil Swart and Alwin Carstens from Mbombela, WA en Genote, Field Security, Securicon which sent its team from Komatipoort as well as two ambulances in case of any injuries, Nkomazi Rangers and Jackalberry Timeshare for the use of its water truck.
She also thanked Marloth Fire Team, the CPF, Marloth Park Concerned Citizens’ team, the Nkomazi Fire Teams, and Ingwe Supermarket for making sure everyone fighting the fire was hydrated with refreshments. Lastly a special thanks to Juan de Beer of Reptile Rescue for his quick response in both instances.
“A big thank you to everyone who was involved in saving Marloth Park from what could have been a disaster. No damage was done to structures and no injuries occurred due to the quick and effective response,” Edgecombe concluded.
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