A firefighter and one other person have been injured in wildfires that have raged through the Aldam Nature Resort in the Free State. The fire that started on Friday has damaged several parts of the resort including chalets.
The injured have been transported to hospitals in Welkom and Winburg.
The Free State Fire Protection Association (FSUFPS) says houses and holiday homes at the resort have been evacuated as firefighters continued to fight off the flames.
More than 13 000 hectares of farm land have been destroyed.
Motorists are being re-routed away from the N1 between Ventersburg and Winburg in the Free State where raging veld fires are causing heavy smoke and poor visibility.
Spokesperson for Emergency Services in the province, Sipho Towa, says two people have been treated for minor injures after a head-on collision on the N1 due to to the heavy smoke.
The fire that started on Friday has already destroyed 13 000 hectares of agricultural land and is threatening several areas including the Aldam Holiday Resort and several game and commercial farms.
Fire fighting teams have been deployed to control the fire that is currently running on the hills next to the Willem Pretorius Game Reserve.
#Fires raged in the Ventersburg and Winburg area this afternoon. Damage at Aldam resort. Not yet sure how much damage to farms. @foodformzansi @FarmersWeeklySA @OFMNews9497 pic.twitter.com/spfHjHuHoZ
— Vrystaat Landbou (@vslandbou) September 4, 2021
Veld fires leave a devastating trail of damage in the Free State:
