swaziland times

MANZINI – The ongoing wildfires in the country have claimed lives.
A man was reportedly burned while trying to put out a wildfire on a farm along the Luwe-Mavcenyi public road yesterday afternoon.
According to people familiar with the matter, after the wildfire broke out on the farm, some people tried to put it out. In the process, the fire changed direction due to the wind in the area yesterday afternoon, the source said.He said it was difficult for the man to jump away from the fire because the farm was full of thorny bushes, the grass on the farm was dry, and the fire was burning fast in his direction. As a result, he said the fire engulfed the man and burned him to death.
The Swaziland National Fire, Rescue and Emergency Services (ENFRES) Public Relations Officer (PRO) Mandla Dlamini confirmed the incident. However, as of the time of writing, details of the deceased were not available as the officers handling the incident were still busy at the scene.Meanwhile, Chief Police Information and Communications Officer, Senior Superintendent Phindile Vilakati also confirmed that a man had died in a fire near Luve yesterday afternoon. She said officers from Mliba police station attended the scene.
It is worth highlighting that in order to prevent such incidents, ENFRES, through the PRO office, issued a wildfire alert to the country in early June 2024. The organization urged emaSwati to consider the strong winds that the country was experiencing at the time as a warning to prepare for the upcoming season, which is usually characterized by wildfires that usually leave millions of emalangeni worth of damage.The service urged local governments and emirates to invite them to the conference so that they can come and teach the country how to prevent wildfires and what to do if they encounter one.