Fire deaths 'misunderstandings'

2007-09-28 09:08

Stephanie Saville

Durban - A tragic chain of misunderstandings appears to have led up to the deaths of a couple, believed to be Canadian tourists, in a veld fire in the Drakensberg last Thursday.

The Witness has learnt that the couple had definitely checked into the Thendele Camp at the Royal Natal National Park at 10:20, when the news of the massive blaze had already been received there.

Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife spokesperson Jeff Gaisford, said the runaway fire started after locals tried to burn a fire break around their homestead on the other side of the river.

The fire warning index issued for the area on Thursday last week was "orange".

"In other words highly, highly dangerous conditions for lighting fires." The fire spread quickly, jumping the Tugela river, aided by strong winds and a steep incline.

"At the camp, the staff alerted local resorts to bring fire fighting equipment and help."

Meanwhile, the couple, after being told that their room would only be ready at 14:00, decided to take an easy walk to the Tiger Falls about two kilometres from the camp.

Gaisford said staff were instructed that no one should leave the camp and efforts were made to find the couple, who had been sighted sitting under a tree near the falls.

Different foreign couple

"Another foreign couple, who just happened to accurately match the description of the Canadians, was seen heading back toward the camp, so staff assumed they were fine and accounted for." Tragically, it emerged later that it was a different couple altogether.

When the Canadians did not return, they were not missed as everyone assumed they were safe and out of the camp on walks, said Gaisford.

On Sunday their vehicle was noticed at the camp, but staff assumed it belonged to overnight hikers, said Gaisford.

Only on Tuesday were the hiking registers checked and it was found that the registration plate on their car was not listed among those who had signed any of the three hiking registers at the camp.

Police spokesperson Muzi Mngomezulu said the couple's remains have been taken to a nearby mortuary for post-mortems. He said police are concerned that there may have been some other cause of death, before they were engulfed by the flames.

Mngomezulu stressed that the couple have not yet been positively identified and that at this stage it was merely speculation that they could be the missing tourists.

Meanwhile, the Herald, a Port Elizabeth newspaper, reported on Thursday that the couple were in South Africa to join in the celebrations of parents' 60th wedding anniversary to be held in Port Elizabeth.

The woman's sister-in-law, who asked not to be named, said her husband will fly to Durban on Monday to identify their bodies. The family are "shocked and distraught" at the tragedy, she said.

- The Witness