Johannesburg - A fire-fighting plane was forced to land when it experienced engine failure in Koopmansfontein, in the Northern Cape, on Thursday, Working on Fire (WoF) said.
“Our pilot was forced to make an emergency landing after the engine failure,” said WoF spokesperson Saayman Rossouw.
The plane was trying to control a fire at the time. The passenger and the pilot were slightly injured, said Rossouw.
He said more than 100 000 hectares of veld had been destroyed by the fire that started a week ago. More than 50 cattle had died in the blaze.
Firefighters, aided by three army helicopters, were trying to control the fire on Thursday.
“Today, we had three helicopters from the army, one helicopter from us (WoF) and two planes, and even now (Thursday night) it is still burning,” said Rossouw.
“We can't fight the fire at night, so tomorrow (Friday) morning at 5am we will be there.”
He said the cause of the fire was not known. - Sapa