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8 March 2024
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Arson suspected as more fires rage across Nelson Mandela Bay
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Though the Windy City lived up to its name on Thursday, 7 March 2024, complicating matters for firefighters tackling flare-ups along the coastline, Gqeberha also showed its friendly side as the community banded together. Municipal firefighters had battled through the night on Wednesday to protect houses and residents of Schoenmakerskop but their efforts were diverted further west to tackle fires that recurred throughout the day on Thursday with at least 10 fires burning across Nelson Mandela Bay, including in Motherwell where several informal dwellings burned to the ground. Veld fires came dangerously close to homes in other parts of the city and the municipality’s acting senior director for Fire and Emergency Services, Hendrik McLeod, said they were not ruling out the possibility of arson.
According to McLeod, fires erupted in areas including Baywest, Bethelsdorp, Despatch, Humewood, Bridgemeade, Sherwood, Kabega Park and Motherwell.
He said the Baywest fire, situated near the mall, was still active by the time of publication.
Additionally, a fire near Despatch High and another next to Forest Hill Drive in Humewood remained active.
By late last night a fire in Montrose Road, Sherwood and two fires at separate locations in Kabega Park, were also still raging.
A fire at the graveyard on Stanford Road in Bethelsdorp was brought under control, along with one in a field behind Despatch on the R75.
Though the fire that swept through NU13 in Motherwell had also been contained, numerous shacks were destroyed.
The veld fire at the back of Bridgemeade was quite worrying and close to dwellings, McLeod said.
“The Bridgemeade fire was brought under control just after 21h30pm. Our firefighting teams are busy with damping down operations,” he said late on Thursday, 7 March 2024.
He said his department believed the fires had been started deliberately. “We suspect arson and obviously we will follow up on the fires, specifically within the area close to Nelson Mandela University,” McLeod said. “It is all different fires and not what we would refer to as a reoccurrence of fires; it’s all different fires deliberately being set alight.”
He said an investigation was ongoing.
This comes just days after the wind-fuelled wildfires at the end of February 2024 when people were evacuated from homes in the Sacramento and Sappershoek areas as a precautionary measure.
Source: Herald Live, Algoa FM
According to McLeod, fires erupted in areas including Baywest, Bethelsdorp, Despatch, Humewood, Bridgemeade, Sherwood, Kabega Park and Motherwell.
He said the Baywest fire, situated near the mall, was still active by the time of publication.
Additionally, a fire near Despatch High and another next to Forest Hill Drive in Humewood remained active.
By late last night a fire in Montrose Road, Sherwood and two fires at separate locations in Kabega Park, were also still raging.
A fire at the graveyard on Stanford Road in Bethelsdorp was brought under control, along with one in a field behind Despatch on the R75.
Though the fire that swept through NU13 in Motherwell had also been contained, numerous shacks were destroyed.
The veld fire at the back of Bridgemeade was quite worrying and close to dwellings, McLeod said.
“The Bridgemeade fire was brought under control just after 21h30pm. Our firefighting teams are busy with damping down operations,” he said late on Thursday, 7 March 2024.
He said his department believed the fires had been started deliberately. “We suspect arson and obviously we will follow up on the fires, specifically within the area close to Nelson Mandela University,” McLeod said. “It is all different fires and not what we would refer to as a reoccurrence of fires; it’s all different fires deliberately being set alight.”
He said an investigation was ongoing.
This comes just days after the wind-fuelled wildfires at the end of February 2024 when people were evacuated from homes in the Sacramento and Sappershoek areas as a precautionary measure.
Source: Herald Live, Algoa FM
