Staff Reporter
ANOTHER fire erupted in Swakopmund’s Democratic Resettlement Community (DRC) informal settlement on Thursday that destroyed about 12 structures, including a church.
According to the Erongo police, the incident happened at about 12:30 after the fire started in the storage room of one of the affected shacks. The fire then spread and destroyed several other structures in the community including a church.
The police said that the Swakopmund Fire Brigade extinguished the fire and the victims were able to evacuate. No injuries or deaths were reported.
The cause of the fire is still unknown at this time.
The police therefore request DRC residents to provide information that could contribute to determining the cause of the fire.
This incident occurred at a time when Swakopmund is experiencing warm and extremely windy conditions. This has been the case since last week and according to Namibia Meteorological Services, these conditions will persist throughout this week as well. The public is therefore urged to be cautious as such conditions can intensify and spread fires.
“We urge the communities to take extra care when handling fire causing substances. With the prevailing weather conditions, we urge them not to leave a fire unattended, avoid illegal connections and make sure that all candles are extinguished after use,” the police advised.
The police said they are very concerned about the number of fires occurring in the DRC informal settlement weekly, adding that the details of the causes of these fires are suspicious.
File photo for illustrative purposes only.
