Section of Rooihuiskraal Tshwane Garden Waste site caught fire on Saturday night

A section of the Rooihuiskraal Tshwane Garden Waste site, a popular drop-off location for waste disposal caught fire on Saturday night.

A local resident who lives across the site told Rekord that she noticed the fire at around 21:30. “I was made aware of the fire around 21:30, I went to the balcony and I saw smoke and a fire at the dumping site,” said Jocelyn Reida.

She said first responders were on the scene quickly and a fire truck also responded quickly.

Reida said she observed that there was still some smouldering at the site on Sunday morning.

While firefighters worked quickly to extinguish the blaze, this is not the first time that this particular site has been affected by a fire.

Residents have raised concerns about the safety of the waste site, especially during the windy season. They highlighted that a fire can break out at any time.

Residents also point out that a big fire at this site could have a devastating impact on the surrounding community, and could potentially lead to power outages and other disruptions.

The residents said the site is so prone to fire, that there is no sense in keeping it.

The Tshwane Emergency Services spokesperson Deputy Chief Charles Mabaso said the EMS got the report at approximately 21:45 on Saturday night.

“Resources were dispatched and firefighters worked swiftly to extinguish the fire,” Mabaso said.

Mabaso further said that they received a notification again at 10:15 on Sunday that the dump site was on fire again.

“While it has not yet been determined what caused the fire on Saturday night, we suspect that the fire on Sunday may have been as a result of the reignition of smouldering fires from last night,” said Mabaso.

The authorities are continuing to monitor the site and will take appropriate measures to prevent any further damage or risk of the fire igniting again.

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