OR Tambo runway opened after grass fire

OR Tambo International Airport was forced to close one of its runways after dry grass caught fire and “spilled over from the adjacent community within the airport precinct,” it said via Twitter.

Fire and rescue teams are onsite to extinguish the blaze, according to OR Tambo, which is the busiest airport in Africa.

Ekurhuleni Emergency Services spokesperson William Ntladi says the emergency services have been battling the blaze since 11 am. 

“It was a grassfire that was huge, it was a massive grassfire. Our fire trucks as well as the airport fire trucks have been battling since this morning,” says Ntladi. 

In a statement released on Monday evening, the Airport Management said all affected runways have been declared safe to operate. 

“Our Fire and Rescue team have managed to contain and successfully extinguished the fire. They will continue to monitor the situation closely throughout the night,” it said. 

The management confirmed that two non-operational aircraft parked at Denel were affected by the fire. 

The runway that has been closed is typically used for landings because it’s long, at more than 4.4 kilometres (2.7 miles), which helps planes land in the thinner air at Johannesburg’s relatively high altitude, aviation society Scramble said on its website.

In Johannesburg and its surrounds, it’s the end of a dry winter, and there are frequent fires until the rains arrive, usually in October.

No loss of life has been reported. 

Main Image: Bloomberg