Times Of Swaziland: WILD FIRES LAY SIEGE TO ESWATINI

WILD FIRES LAY SIEGE TO ESWATINI
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BY TIMOTHY SIMELANE on 20/07/2019 08:56:00


MBABANE – The nation was under siege as wild fires burnt properties, consumed
thousands of hectares of grazing lands and threatened livelihoods of many
yesterday.
People with respiratory issues were affected by billows of smoke that shaded the
atmosphere grey for the better part of the afternoon.
Meanwhile, the fire and emergency service was stretched to limits as over 100
emergency calls were made, prompting desperate measures. The country has been
dealing with extremely dry and hot conditions over the past few days, which
weather forecasters said fuelled the fire.
The community of Ekupheleni said they were caught unawares when suddenly a wild
fire from the western side approached, at an estimated speed of 50 kilometers
per hour.
“Teams of youths were dispatched to beat the flames with tree branches and
water, but they worked all afternoon as the flames kept spreading. The people of
Ekupheleni were one of the few cases that the fire and emergency personnel could
not reach out to because they were overstretched.
It was also gathered that chicken sheds and gardens were gutted at Engwenyameni,
near Malkerns, when a wild fire went out of control. In all the instances, no
one assumed responsibility for starting the fires.
Montingny Forestry’s Sihle Mavuso said the fire had caused extensive damage to
commercial forestry from Mantabeni to Malkerns.
By yesterday evening at 8pm, Mavuso said Montigny staff was still on the ground,
using the company’s traditional methods to douse the flames and mitigate
damages.
“Even if we had a helicopter or an aircraft, it would not have been helpful
today because the wind was too strong. We are disappointed that communities are
still not getting the message to desist from lighting fires in such windy
weather,” he said.
Mavuso said a comprehensive report on the extent of damages would be released in
due course.
Meanwhile, the Fire and Emergency Services Educational Officer Aubrey Sibiya
educated the nation on SBIS radio yesterday about the dangers of fires, saying
the nation must know that resources for firefighting were not unlimited.
“Some firefighters are getting pension, while others are passing away, and
most have not been replaced because of the economic status of the country.
Moreover, the equipment we use also needs upgrading from time to time and the
resources may not be there to make it world class.  So if people start burning
bushes recklessly, they are straining the very scanty resources.”
He said there was fire all over the country yesterday, which drained the
capacity of the firefighters to respond to every situation on the ground.
“We may not have statistics readily available, but the calls made to the fire
stations were over 100 today, which shows that the resources were overstretched.
“There was no station that did not go out to attend to a fire incident today
(yesterday). In towns such as Siteki, Manzini and Matsapha, communities had
properties gutted as a result of wild fires, while in Mbabane the firefighters
responded to burning velds and bushes,” he said.
Sibiya said it should be noted that fire does not start on its own, but that it
is started by reckless people. We are educating emaSwati that they should assume
responsibility and stop starting unnecessary fires. We, at the fire services, do
not believe in lubane, but in that someone is responsible for starting fire.
Director of Eswatini Meteorological Service Dudu Masina said the nation should
brace itself for more winds as the country was passing through the spring
season.
“July is the season for wind and most communities should expect this. But it
should be noted that it is not the wind that is causing the fires but the people
who start fires recklessly. I saw a fire near Sandla in Mbabane today and it had
caused untold damage to vegetation. All this is a result of people starting
fires without assuming responsibility.”