The Springs Advertiser last week reported on a resident’s frustration with emergency services following a fire that swept through his property at Homestead Blossom on June 12.

Phillip Prew (80) claimed that delays and a lack of resources hindered efforts to contain the blaze.

Prew said the fire department not only responded late to the scene but also arrived with no water and had to use a fire hydrant to refill.

“After filling up, they realised they did not have enough petrol to operate the pump that sprays the water.

“They left and said they would get petrol and come back. They were gone for at least 30 minutes, and when they returned, the fire was out,” he claimed.

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This publication sent an enquiry to the spokesperson of the Emergency Services Disaster and Emergency Management Services (DEMS), William Ntladi.

Ntladi said firefighters received the emergency call through the Life-Threatening Emergency Call Centre at 12:08 and the primary response crew from Etwatwa arrived on scene at 12:59.

“Scene assessment was conducted, and extra resources were requested due to the magnitude of the incident and windy weather conditions.

“A local water tanker fire engine was dispatched to assist crews with the copious amount of water needed,” he said.

Responding to claims that firefighters arrived without water, Ntladi said all water-carrying fire engines are checked and filled to capacity before responding to incidents.

“No fire engine responds out to an incident without water, and if that fire engine is installed with a water tank,” he said.

He explained that firefighters routinely refill water tanks from municipal fire hydrants while attending incidents because water can be depleted quickly during firefighting operations.

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Addressing claims that crews had to leave to refuel equipment, Ntladi said the skid-unit used at the scene is fitted with a portable fuel-driven pump.

“The skid-unit uses a portable power generator fuel-driven pump. It carries a limited amount of fuel; when used for a prolonged period, it will run empty and require refuelling.”

“During that period, backup was already on site and continued with firefighting,” he said.

Ntladi added that strong winds contributed to the spread of the fire and that firefighters also had to use grass beaters because of the uneven terrain.

However, the department did not directly address questions about allegations that local firefighting vehicles were not operational at the time of the incident, whether an internal review of the response had been conducted or Prew’s concerns about the impact the response had on his property.