15 Oct 2013

The sub-fire officer in Palapye, Mr Moses Dikgang has urged Batswana to give assistance during outbreaks of fire.

He made this call after the seven hectors demonstration field belonging to the Department of Crop Production was gutted by fire over the weekend in Mahalapye.

Mr Dikgang said Batswana were fond of watching on the sidelines and not assisting to put out fire outbreaks. He said his office was called around 12 noon on Saturday to go and attend the fire.

“We immediately attended to the report and managed to put out the fire with the assistance of some officers. Unfortunately most of the people were just sitting back and watching instead of helping us,” he said.

He urged Batswana to assist with caution so that they would not get hurt. He also urged Batswana to make fire breakers in areas that had too much grass as that will help prevent quick spreading of fires. Mr Dikgang further requested the public to be very careful when burning rubbish to avoid causing fire out breaks.

He revealed that his six-man team arrived on the scene on time and fought the fire for four hours. He said the fire gutted the seven hectors fodder field and consumed gum poles, nearby houses and the government apiary. Ends