IT WAS a case of all hands to the pump for some residents of Richards Bay when strong winds changed direction and blew burning embers from wood chip stockpiles in the local industrial hub towards a nearby residential area.
Families who felt most threatened lived in homes on Wattelgoud Street in Arboretum Extension, which is less than a kilometre away from the NCT Forestry wood chip plant.
Three stockpiles of wood chips caught alight last Saturday afternoon and when the wind lifted embers over the adjacent John Ross Highway and onto a greenbelt, dry grass and shrubs were set alight.
The fires started to move quickly towards homes on Wattelgoud Street.
By then residents had already armed themselves with hoses and other implements to douse fires.
The panic spread to social media platforms. The flurry of posts prompted some good Samaritans to provide assistance while others made doomsday predictions.
William Brian van der Berg, who lives in Wattelgoud, said he brought out his hose pipes and doused the grass in his yard and as much as he could, fearing the worst, as the fires moved towards his property.
“We were on high alert watching for any sparks that may land on our house. We had family over and everyone kept watch.”
Van der Berg said he was grateful that the fires did not reach his property, but some of his neighbours were not so fortunate and had suffered some minor fire damage.
“When smoke from the wood chip plant moved towards our homes, we had to remain indoors and shut all windows and doors.
“Our house is like an ashtray. It will be weeks before this fire dies down and proper clean-ups are done,” he said.
Lindy Dewinnaar, from the same neighbourhood, said she was ready to attend a local social event but altered her plans when the winds changed direction and the greenbelt went up in flames.
“We emptied half of our swimming pool dowsing our roof, walls and verges with water, in case the fire reached us.
“Saturday was a very scary time. We could even hear the crackling of wood chips at times.”
Dewinnaar said they battled to breathe and felt heavy-headed the next day.
Lorain Scheepers, another Wattelgoud Street resident, said they emptied two buckets of burnt wood chips from their pool's weir afterwards.
“The chips were everywhere. Saturday was intense. The CPF told us to be on high alert in case we needed to pack up and leave in haste.
“The shouts of ‘fire’ were all over in the neighbourhood.
“It felt like a doomsday scene,” said Scheepers, who has lived in the area since the 1980s.
SUNDAY TRIBUNE