Fires raze shacks at Swakopmund

Two fires, fuelled by strong winds, struck different parts of Swakopmund early Wednesday morning.

The blazes caused considerable damage and displaced numerous residents. However, quick action from the Namibia Marshall Rangers and the local fire department ensured there were no severe injuries.

The first fire erupted in Mondesa’s Monica Geingos Street, devastating several informal settlement houses.

Namibia Marshall Rangers’ Sean Naude reported that one individual was treated for shock and inhaling smoke.

“Thankfully, nobody was injured in this incident,” he told The Namibian.

As emergency services grappled with this blaze, a second fire started at Andimba Toivo Ya Toivo Road in the DRC informal settlement.

“The fire department rushed there to put that fire out. There was only a small cluster of shacks burning then. They returned to Monica Geingos where they are currently dousing the fires and making sure that it’s safe,” he said.

Naude praised the Swakopmund fire department for their swift response.

“They did an amazing job being here on duty and making sure that everything is safe,” he said.

Police are investigating the cause of the fires, which are common during strong easterly wind conditions. In the past, open flames left unchecked were mostly the cause, followed by electrical short circuits due to illegal electricity connections.