Extremely strong fumes emanating from the smouldering fire at the old Panorama Pikitup Garden Site on Phil Allen Avenue have left numerous neighbouring residents perturbed about their health.
Residents residing as far as seven kilometres away have shown concern as the smoke has infiltrated their properties, leaving an undesirable smell.
According to workers contracted to douse the fire, the disaster stemmed from a fire that broke out in a nearby piece of veld. The fire spread to the refuse site, igniting the huge heaps of compost last Thursday, 29 August.
The fire is believed to have been started by vagrants, who frequently start fires on the boundaries of the site for various reasons. However, the Pikitup spokesperson, Muzi Mkhwanazi, said they would prefer not to speculate on the issue as the perpetrator is unknown to them.
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Residents of nearby areas are distraught, as the thick smoke has made it impossible for them to breathe freely.
An Allen’s Nek resident, Tonya Yeoman, reflected on the disaster. “For the past week, the dump site has been burning, which has made every single item in our house smell of smoke, and given us headaches. We can’t hang our washing out as it smells bad when we bring it in. This is surely not good for us,” she said.
Another worried resident said the smell is noxious, and worried more about the health of the residents than anything else. “The fumes are horrendous and the smoke is just unbearable. Many of us have called, mailed, and tweeted the authorities,” she explained.
Mkhwanazi said a 24-hour operation was initiated to douse the fire. “There are operations running on a 24-hour basis to extinguish the fire. The Johannesburg Emergency Services assisted with dousing the flames and we continue to pour water on the heaps of dry garden waste that are burning, hoping to be able to put the fire out,” he explained.
The contracted workers and security guards who have been working day and night to put out the fire told the Northsider that the fire engines dispatched to the scene did practically nothing to help alleviate the problem. The fire engines were accused of returning to the fire station, still carrying their full loads of waster, instead of using it to help extinguish the blaze.
The City of Johannesburg Emergency Management Services spokesperson, Robert Mulaudzi, justified his colleagues’ actions.
“Yes, fire engines were dispatched to the incident. After a thorough assessment of the incident, the incident commander decided that there was no danger since the fire was contained in one area,” he explained.
He said if anything had changed since their assessment, residents should call the emergency call centre on 011 375 5911.
As the fire continues to burn, Mkhwanazi blamed the windy weather for holding up the process of extinguishing the fire. “The weather conditions have not been at all helpful. The wind continues to fan the fire and hamper our progress, but top soil has been spread on the burning areas in an effort to try and douse the fire,” he said.
Meanwhile, the site remains temporarily closed. Ward 126 councillor, David Brand, has advised residents to make use of the Fairland Garden Site on 117, 5th Avenue, Fairland.
