One dead after firefighting helicopter crashes in the Cape
Image: Working on Fire via Twitter
A Working On Fire helicopter has crashed‚ killing one person‚ in the Vermaaklikheid area of the Garden Route while fighting fires that have raged there since the weekend.
Linton Rensburg‚ communications manager at Working on Fire‚ said the Huey helicopter crashed around 9:45am but said “the cause of the accident is not yet known”.
According to the Garden Route District Municipality (GRDM)‚ the fire has been deemed out of control. Officials warn that approximately 100 buildings‚ including thatched roof farm houses and other infrastructure‚ are at risk of becoming engulfed in the blaze.
Western Cape minister of local government‚ environmental affairs and development planning‚ Anton Bredell‚ said in a statement the helicopter had crashed during firefighting operations and confirmed there had been one fatality.
“The family‚ friends and the community of firefighters are in our thoughts at this time‚” he said.