A freak accident destroyed five collector’s aircraft in Kromdraai, north of Pretoria last month.
The five were part of the fleet of seven owned by an American collector and kept on a farm owned by Andy de Klerk.
De Klerk said an axle broke on the driving on the road adjacent to his farm, and as the metal made contact with the tarmac, it sparked and started a veld fire that engulfed his 600-hectare farm.
“Metals were making direct contact with the surface of the road causing sparks to fly and one flew into the veld immediately causing the dry grass to ignite,” he said.
He said the fire rapidly spread through the property and substantially damaged the five aircraft.
The remainder were damaged but could be restored.
“There were aircraft components and parts lying on the ground that were also destroyed. Fortunately the farmhouse was not damaged,” said de Klerk. He could not say how much the destroyed aircraft were worth.
“The fire has done irreparable damage to the ecosystem. As we speak there is no grazing land for the animals,” he said adding that no animals had been killed by the fire.
Another veld fire broke out in the area the following afternoon as people failed to control the fire they had set to grass on the piece of land, said Pieter Oosthuizen, manager of radio communications at the Apies Rivier Rural Fire Protection Association.
He said windy conditions on that Wednesday exacerbated the fire but with the help of emergency services, they eventually put it out.
“I would like to implore people to desist from starting illegal fires,” said Oosthiuzen.
Oosthuizen said his association could do more to help the community but it was ill-equipped to deal with all emergencies since Tshwane withdrew two firefighting trucks.
“We serve a very large and diverse community in which there are many shacks. We appeal to big business to sponsor us to buy more equipment,” he said.
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