Update on 6 firefighters dead after South African bushfire. A vegetation fire in South Africa has resulted in the deaths of six firefighters and among the deceased are three female firefighters who succumbed to burn injuries.
The fire occurred near Howick in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands and shortly after 3 PM on Sunday, July 14, uMngeni Mayor Chris Pappas reported that three female firefighters had died and five others had been rushed to nearby hospitals, with one of them airlifted due to severe burns.
Midlands EMS spokesperson Roland Robertson later confirmed that three more firefighters did not survive their injuries while being treated in the hospital, raising the death toll to six, according to The Times Live.
Robertson stated that emergency crews were dispatched to the Boston Road area, where paramedics found multiple victims still on fire and several deceased. The crews worked to stabilise several individuals at the scene while the veld fire continued to rage, with firefighting aircraft attempting to extinguish the brush fire.
Additional backup was called in, including an aeromedical helicopter from Netcare 911 equipped with extra gear to assist on the scene. Three firefighters were placed on ventilators at the scene, with one being airlifted to the hospital.
Two other patients were also in critical condition, requiring urgent advanced life support.
Mayor Pappas mentioned that the fire appeared to be a runaway grass fire. Response efforts included Sappi, Working on Fire, local landowners, and uMgungundlovu Fire. firefighters dead
