10 dead in KZN fires
2008-08-31 18:41
Durban - Authorities on Sunday afternoon urged motorists to avoid using roads to Melmoth and Eshowe as fires that are believed to have claimed the lives of at least 10 people made driving dangerous.
Melmoth Protection Services officer Derek Horne urged motorists to stay away and not to use the R66 and R34 roads, warning that in some areas flames were jumping across the roads.
"It's like a war zone here. The fires are out of control. Please tell motorists to stay away," he said.
Earlier in the day the provincial EMRS ambulance service reported that there were as many as 15 people that had been killed by the numerous blazes ripping through the area.
Later EMRS confirmed that 10 fatalities had been reported to them.
Police spokesperson Director Phindile Radebe said that she could confirm the deaths of two people - an 85 year old man and his 58-year old wife in the Madesheni area near Nkandla.
A police source in the area who spoke on condition of anonymity said the fire which claimed their lives was still burning out of control.
A further four fires are blazing in the Dubuni and Makasaneni areas near Melmoth. Local officials have also reported that these fire are out of control.
At least five houses in Dubuni are reported to have gone up in flames.
EMRS said the fatalities had been reported in the Melmoth, Emabhuqwini, Ntambanana and Ekuthuleni areas. It was not clear if the figures reported by EMRS included the two being reported by the police.
A local protection service officer in the Melmoth area, who spoke to Sapa on condition of anonimity, said: "It just smoke everywhere. It's chaotic. The fires are totally out of control."
On Saturday night the region's only firefighting plane crashed near Babanango shortly after take-off, killing the pilot.
He said he believed the fact that the firefighting plane had crashed and was no longer able to waterbomb the fires had led to the situation.
At the time of the plane crash on Saturday night, it could not be confirmed whether the plane was involved in firefighting duties.
- SAPA