Centurion blaze set to burn for days

The Centurion fire that has been burning since Saturday evening will take days before it is completely put out, Tshwane emergency services said on Sunday afternoon, Centurion Rekord reports.

Spokesperson Johan Pieterse said personnel from two fire stations had been on site in Sunderland Ridge since Saturday night to ensure that the fire did not spread to another stack of tyres about 20 metres away.

“The emergency services team will remain on site until the fire, which is likely to burn for a number of days, is completely out while the environment and agriculture management team will also monitor the impact of air pollution at the Pretoria West air quality monitoring station.

“These tyres are stored in an open field to be used as a rifle shooting range.”

He said the cause of the fire was subject to investigation and the metro’s environment and agriculture management department would also investigate the legality of storing tyres on such a site.

Pieterse said the intensity of the fire as well as the limited access to water in the area posed a challenge to their work.

“This is the second time we’ve had a fire in this area. We had one about a year and two months ago.”