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24 January 2025
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Windstorm hits Virginia on 13 January 2025; fire station damaged, Matjhabeng
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A windstorm hit Virginia on Monday, 13 January 2025, causing localised damage to infrastructure, settlements, property, vehicles, livelihood and livestock. “Just after 19h10, heavy rains started pouring down. At 19h21 the window panel of the Virginia Fire Station was partially ripped off by a wind, causing significant damage, resulting in all communication being disabled for almost two hours,” said CFO Freddy Khuze of Matjhabeng Fire Department. “This incident not only compromised the integrity of the building but also posed potential risks to fire personnel and to the emergency vehicles housed within the building.”
Virginia was without electricity from 19h21 until 21h45.
On Tuesday, CFO Khuze and Mr Matlokotsi visited the affected area to do a damage assessment, whilst Assistant Fire Chief Francois Klaassen contacted the South African Weather Services (SAWS) in Bloemfontein, to get information about the incident that occurred. They were provided with pictures and video footage of the incident.
“After the footage was reviewed and all the data was collected from the Radar Stations, the SA Weather Services confirmed that these reports show no evidence of a tornado but thunderstorms with gale-force winds. Gale-force winds are winds that are very strong, measuring between 50 to 102km per hour. They are stronger than a normal strong winds, but not as extreme as a tornado.”
Damaged buildings including the Virginia Fire Station and several other structures in Virginia as well as Eskom infrastructure. A total of 58 tree incidents was reported online, which was handed over to the Parks Department for handling.
Source: CFO F Khuze, Matjhabeng Fire Department
Virginia was without electricity from 19h21 until 21h45.
On Tuesday, CFO Khuze and Mr Matlokotsi visited the affected area to do a damage assessment, whilst Assistant Fire Chief Francois Klaassen contacted the South African Weather Services (SAWS) in Bloemfontein, to get information about the incident that occurred. They were provided with pictures and video footage of the incident.
“After the footage was reviewed and all the data was collected from the Radar Stations, the SA Weather Services confirmed that these reports show no evidence of a tornado but thunderstorms with gale-force winds. Gale-force winds are winds that are very strong, measuring between 50 to 102km per hour. They are stronger than a normal strong winds, but not as extreme as a tornado.”
Damaged buildings including the Virginia Fire Station and several other structures in Virginia as well as Eskom infrastructure. A total of 58 tree incidents was reported online, which was handed over to the Parks Department for handling.
Source: CFO F Khuze, Matjhabeng Fire Department
