Young man injured during runaway fire
A young man shared photos of his burn injuries as a warning to others about how quickly things can go wrong when fighting field fires.
Gareth Sutherland is currently being treated at the Life Kosmos Hospital in eMalahleni.
He was one of three people who were injured during a runaway fire in the Elandspruit area that originated near the N4 and burnt all the way to the R555 (Old Witbank/Middelburg Road). 
According to Mr Sutherland’s mother, he was injured when the fire jumped a fire break and he rushed to extinguish it.
Someone else, who was operating a blower, also rushed to the flames and blew the flames onto Mr Sutherland without realising it.
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“We don’t blame anyone, it was a freak accident, but maybe the photos of my son can serve as a warning to others,” Lydia Sutherland said.
She said that her son is taken to theatre every few days to have his wounds cleaned and that he is still in a lot of pain.
According to reports another man was admitted to ICU with burn wounds sustained during the same fire. A third person was injured but did not need to be admitted to hospital. 
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