Veld fires on the rise again
ALLENS NEK – Winter is upon us and so are veld fires. Johannesburg Emergency Services respond to a minimum of four veld fires a day.
Veld fires are a common thing this time of the year. This is according to spokesperson for Johannesburg Emergency Services, Robert Mulaudzi.
He said in winter they attend to a minimum of four veld fires each day because there are plenty of open spaces in the Roodepoort precinct.
Wilgeheuwel resident Julia Kruger attested to this and explained that in their suburb the greenbelts in the surrounding areas seem to burn almost daily.
“The air quality is appalling to say the least.”
Kruger said this also poses a health hazard.
“I have a four-year-old daughter who, every winter, develops chest problems as a result of the smoke originating from the fires. This might not be as serious as crime, but it has a terrible effect on the health of the residents in the area.”
To a certain extent, she believes that vagrants are responsible for the veld fires as they are allegedly known for starting fires randomly. “You can drive down Beretta Street any day in winter and you will encounter a thick haze of toxic smoke hanging in the air. Laundry placed outside on my washing line is often covered in black ash,” an irritated Kruger informed.
Mulaudzi explained that it is never easy to detect the source of these fires.
“Sometimes they are indeed deliberately started by people and at other times the fire is started by friction of the grass when there are winds.”
He said because the grass is drier, it is easier for a small fire to spread.
On 12 June, another veld fire erupted in Allen’s Nek.
The greenbelt area on Christiaan de Wet Road was ablaze with the smoke covering some parts of the road, affecting motorists’ visibility and the traffic flow.
Though in this case there were no injuries or deaths reported, Mulaudzi warned that fires were very dangerous.
He appealed to residents to be extra vigilant and also play their part to ensure that there are no veld fires.
“A dropped lit cigarette can catch the grass and cause a fire. [Avoiding] such simple and small things like this can contribute to ensuring that we don’t experience a lot of veld fires like we do at the moment.”
