Fire Devours Reho’s Acacia Forest

Fire Devours Reho’s Acacia Forest

24 August 2011

published by www.allafrica.com


Namibia — AT LEAST 30 000 hectares of grazing was destroyed by a veld fire which tore through Rehoboth’s Acacia forest this weekend.

The blaze is suspected to have been caused by youngsters who made a bonfire in the town’s Kuile area on Friday.

By 09h00 on Saturday, winds caused the fire to spread to the surrounding farms south of Rehoboth.

Farmers and volunteers with about seven bakkies joined the town’s fire brigade, comprising eight people, to put the fire out.

They only managed to bring the fire under control by 18h00 on Sunday.

Reverend Eugen Beukes, a local church minister, said the fire “caused clear destruction”. Beukes was one of the volunteers who worked from Saturday afternoon to help fight the blaze.

One of the town’s fire fighters said the fire wiped out most of the grazing on about six farms. “It was an ugly sight. Those old trees were completely destroyed. The fire was particularly dangerous because the trees which caught fire are so tall and then the strong wind made it worse.”

He said as far as he knows, no livestock were killed in the fire.

The Police are said to be looking for the youngsters alleged to be responsible for the fire.”


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