KNYSNA NEWS - A raging veld fire that rapidly spread across a patch of open land in Rykmanshoogte and Fisherhaven, Hornlee, caused some damage to a residential house. The Knysna Fire Department was notified of the fire at 14:45 on Sunday, March 11.
Several residents and fire department personnel as well as a helicopter and a spotter plane of Working on Fire (WOF) worked together to combat the flames. "According to an eyewitness children from the nearby vicinity set the veld alight," said Knysna's municipal manager, Lauren Waring. It is alleged that the fire department's ground personnel struggled for more than two hours to extinguish the fire before receiving aerial support from WOF's resident pilot and staff member.
An eyewitness enquired about why it had taken so long to dispatch the chopper and spotter plane for assistance. Waring replied, "The fire chief in consultation with the director of community services must make the decision and Working on Fire is the only body who dispatches the aerial support."
Waring added that the fire department's brief delay in responding to the fire may have been due to the fact that it had to attend to three other fires during the same period.
Asked when the fire department is obliged to dispatch a chopper or spotter plane, Waring answered, "Only when life and property are in danger and the fire cannot be brought under control with current equipment and deployment.
On Sunday the wind severely exacerbated the already dangerous situation resulting in a very fast-spreading veld fire."
A Knysna resident, Ronnie Davidson explained, "The fire, fanned by the strong winds, did not damage any other properties as it spread. I was contacted to come to the church situated amongst other properties near the fire. Within minutes of my arrival we noticed that the fire had spread onto the adjacent grass near the church and other properties. Without any hesitation, several children and residents and the airborne and ground-working fire fighters worked together in controlling the fire and halting it from spreading any further. I believe, that if it wasn't for the magnificent work of the pilots as well as the ground personnel, then the properties would have caught alight. They all did an amazing job," complimented Davidson.
Another resident, Roy Featherstone said, "A thatched log-home amongst others in the kloof between Fisherhaven and Hornlee escaped the worst, thanks to the commendable work of the airborne and ground fire-angels."
"Well done and thank you to the chopper and spotter plane and of course the Fire Department," said Claudia Pirker, another resident.
"The helicopters are only as good as the ground team. Sunday's work was a sign of good ground support. We would not have been able to control and extinguish the fire the way we did, if it wasn't for the help of the ground team. They were exceptionally good," said Nico Heyns, helicopter manager and resident pilot of Working on Fire.
Jackie Barham, owner of the timber home, said, "Only a small section of the roof caught alight and was put out." She believes that the fire spread so fast as a result of the alien vegetation surrounding her house. She further said that she had discussed the matter of keeping alien vegetation under control with Michelle Wasserman, Knysna deputy mayor. "Last week Wednesday, my husband thinks, because I was out of town and have no recollection of it, he smelt and saw smoke up the top of the hill near the water reservoir. It appeared to be put out and we didn't see anymore smoke. On Sunday at approximately 14:45 I smelt smoke and saw that there was smoke coming up at the top of the hill behind the reservoir. I took a drive up there immediately and followed a small red truck and the two firemen up to the reservoir," explained Barham. "I saw that the wind was howling and the grass was on fire. There was a natural fire break which was a dirt road going down towards Hornlee. Instead of them turning water onto the grass over the road to try and prevent the fire jumping they just had two slappers and were trying to fight the fire from the side.
When the fire jumped the road I advised them and took off to get home to start preparing for the fire that was clearly going to come down behind my house."
Barham further said that she contacted her husband, Gary Barham, asking him to contact the fire department. She said, " He was advised that they knew about the fire and that everything was under control. He advised them that it was not. I then phoned my friend Maxwell Orr at 15:05, who was with Dominic Morel, and they arrived ten minutes later from the other side of town with an extra hosepipe and between my husband and Maxwell they began hosing down our roof and house."
Jackie said that she again contacted the fire department and was told that the department knew about the fire. "I told them that the fire had jumped the road and was now racing out of control down the green belt towards my home. I was then advised that they 'know how to fight fires'," she said.
She continued, "Another friend of mine, Runelle Herd from the Knysna Golf Course, helped me remove my pets and work computers from my house as well as moving vehicles.
I phoned again about ten minutes after our second call to them because no other fire vehicles had come into Fisherhaven. She was once again told that the fire department was aware of the fire and knew how to fight it.
"The fire then rounded the corner and our neighbour, Jock Falconer from across the raod, armed with another hosepipe, and our neighbours from 12 and 17 Katonkel Street arrived as well and helped fight the fire. Thank goodness for them." Barham said that they continued spraying down their house, and there was still no sign of the fire department. It was then that she decided to contact 10111. " I then phoned 10111 and started shouting down the phone at about 15:30 that my house was about to catch alight. A large yellow truck then arrived at 15:40, and eventually got their house pipes hooked up, just in time, as my roof caught alight on the side which was in an area we couldn't reach with our hosepipes. The fire department then turned their hosepipes on," she explained.
"At this point the huge pine tree behind my house was on fire and pine cones were exploding sending out hot shards which were hitting my husband and friends, causing small blisters on their bodies," said Barham.
"As the fire was coming, I presume because all the neighbours leading onto the green belt were hosing their properties, the pressure dropped on our hosepipes. At this point we got the fire department to keep their hosepipe on the pine tree behind my house, which prevented it from burning any further up where there are masses of pine cones. If the fire department had arrived 2 minutes later our house would have been on fire and this would have set the trees and neighbours' properties alight," said Barham.
"The fire department, once on the scene, was awesome as well as the helicopter and spotter plane. Please understand that I have no complaints about the fire-fighting men, but the communication with the fire department and the late response very nearly cost me my home, and my tenants nextdoor Charl and Lizelle Smith, who are uninsured for fire, to lose everything."
"I need the municipality or SANParks to take responsibility for the alien vegetation in our green belt as they all explode when on fire, sending out redhot shards to the surrounding vicinity. I would like to thank all the people mentioned above and also my mother-in-law, Pam Barham and friends who came to give us moral support," concluded Barham.
The resident pilot of Working on Fire draws water from the Knysna Lagoon on Sunday, March 11. (Photo: Elle Photography.)
ARTICLE: ROZANO ALIE, KNYSNA-PLETT HERALD JOURNALIST
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