Help curb rising veld fires, Grootfontein urges

The Grootfontein municipality has appealed to residents to refrain from deliberately starting fires, warning that a recent spike in veld fires is placing severe pressure on the town's limited firefighting resources.

In a public appeal issued on Monday, the municipality said it has responded to numerous emergency calls involving veld fires across different parts of Grootfontein over the past month.

It said the fires have endangered lives, damaged property, threatened municipal and Cenored infrastructure, and placed the natural environment at risk.

The municipality attributed the heightened danger to the current dry and windy weather conditions.

Municipal spokesperson Luke Salomo urged residents to exercise extreme caution throughout the dry season.

"We appeal to every resident to act responsibly and avoid any activity that could start a fire," Salamo said.

"Warm coals, ash, cigarette butts and other flammable materials must be disposed of safely. Even the smallest spark can quickly develop into a devastating veld fire under the current weather conditions," he added.

The municipality also called on residents and businesses to immediately report any open fires, regardless of their size, as well as suspicious behaviour or deliberate attempts to start fires.

It stressed that deliberately starting veld fires is a serious criminal offence and said it would continue working with the Namibian Police, Cenored and other stakeholders to investigate incidents, identify those responsible and hold them accountable.