BCM responds to callouts for 28 fires in one day
Lack of capacity within municipality to deal with so many outbreaks
Twenty-eight reports of fires in East London were responded to by the Buffalo City Metro fire department on Monday, according to the municipality.
Fire damage occurred in Beacon Bay, where three houses were destroyed, Christmas Rock, Cozy Corner, Dorchester Heights and Adderley Crescent in Buffalo Flats.
Veld fires were the likely cause.
DA councillor Sue Bentley said her biggest gripe on Monday was that the fire department’s phone was not answered.
“In all fairness, the fire department had a lot of fires to attend to yesterday. An off-duty fire dispatcher assisted me a lot yesterday as I was flooded with calls about fires,” Bentley said on Tuesday.
The Dorchester Heights fire encroached on people’s houses.
“The residents were asked to wet their houses with water. A burst water pipe in Cambridge prevented them from doing this. Fortunately one fire truck dispatched to Dorchester arrived in time. The other stayed in Beacon Bay,” Bentley said.
She said there seemed to be too few fire trucks to fight the multiple blazes.
“In terms of what we’ve been experiencing, the bush tenders have been ineffective,” Bentley said.
Bush tenders are modified 4x4 bakkies fitted with 500l tanks used to fight bush and smaller rubbish dump fires.
BCM spokesperson Samkelo Ngwenya said eight fire trucks and engines were operational in five fire stations.
“The following major pumps are operational: Mdantsane major E-5 and E-15, Gompo fire station E-3 and BT9, Vincent E-9 and Alp1, Fleet Street E-2 and Greenfields -BT5.
Seven fire vehicles are awaiting repairs.
According to Ngwenya, SANS 10090 (fire protection safety agency) said the fire department did not have its full firefighting staff complement.
“We can cope under normal circumstances with the limited staff we have and we can call offduty staff to work overtime and assist. This winter season, with its strong winds and dry conditions, is normal,” he said.
In April, the Dispatch reported that red flags were raised over a decision by BCM to purchase 10 modified 4x4 bakkies instead of two fire engines.
R10m had been set aside to purchase two “pumper station” fire engines in the 2019/2020 budget.
However, the money was diverted to buy the 10 bush tenders.
Bentley said 299 fire calls were made in July.
Google Maps shows two of the three houses that burnt down in Beacon Bay had thatched roofs. One had a wendyhouse braai area, while another was a tiled roof house.
Thatch roof homes demand higher insurance premiums.
Re/Max Border owner and broker Mark Attwood said safety was a key issue for homeowners when choosing a house.
“Yes, thatch roof houses do have a higher propensity for fire. I think buyers do consider this, but they also put in preventive measures,” Attwood said.
Thatch seemed to be losing its popularity as it was quite difficult to maintain, he said.
“Where there is bush behind a house potential buyers are concerned about safety, and not necessarily the risk of bush fires,” Attwood said.
He said home buyers usually had a budget to change thatch roofs to tiles when purchasing.
There seemed to be too few fire trucks to fight the multiple blazes. In terms of what we ’ ve been experiencing, the bush tenders have been ineffective