News24 | National intervention sought as blaze engulfs Northern Cape SANDF camp, unconfirmed casualty reports

A veld fire spread through the South African National Defence Force's Lohatla training centre in the Northern Cape on Friday.

• A fire spread through the South African National Defence Force training base, Lohatla.
• The Northern Cape Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs has escalated the matter to the head of national disaster management.
• The number of fatalities and injuries could not be established.

Disaster management teams in the Northern Cape have responded to a veld fire that spread through the South African National Defence Force's Lohatla training centre on Friday.

Images of burnt-out SANDF vehicles and the scorched earth left behind by the fire went viral on social media.

Cooperative Governance, Human Settlements and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) spokesperson Tshenolo Meruti-Sebolai said there were reports of multiple casualties and injuries as a result of the fire.

This could not be verified at the time of publication.

"The Northern Cape Provincial Disaster Management Centre Unit has escalated the matter to the Head of the National Disaster Management Centre (NDMC) for their intervention," Meruti-Sebolai added.

Cogta MEC Bentley Vass has been alerted.

According to the Cogta department, the veld fire spread from Kathu in the jurisdiction of the Gamagara Local Municipality to the combat training grounds.

The department added that in most cases, the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) activates its own choppers to extinguish fires.

READ | Fire at Waterkloof Air Force Base has been contained - SANDF spokesperson

"Should the SANDF require additional assistance, it will be done through the Provincial Joint Intelligence Structure, which will then escalate it to the National Joint Intelligence Structure for directive on the deployment of additional support."

Attempts to contact the SANDF for comment were unsuccessful at the time of publishing.

Its comment will be added once received.

Lohatla is home to the SA Army Combat Training Centre, a facility that hosts wargames and training exercises.

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