Management at Bushman's Nek Berg and Trout Resort is working to relocate guests and staff following a fire that resulted in the closure of the Drakensberg resort in Underberg, KwaZulu-Natal.
The resort has been under First Group management for more than 25 years.
According to the resort’s Facebook page, the resort was engulfed by a ‘devastating veld fire’ late on Thursday night, August 8, into the early hours of Friday morning, August 9.
“We’re deeply heartbroken to share that Bushman’s Nek has been engulfed by a devastating veld fire.
“The flames have taken away more than just a beautiful destination; they’ve taken away a place where memories were made, laughter echoed, and nature’s serenity touched our souls,” said the group.
FG head of strategy and communication, Rioma Cominelli, said that there were a few minor injuries with guests personal belongings, including vehicles being burnt in the fire.
One of the guests, John Senona, opened up about the traumatic incident, sharing that guests caught in the fire assisted each other to safety.
“No one came to our rooms. We left our rooms at 3am and the fire started around 1am as they say. We only woke up around 2am bcoz there was a smoke in our unit.
“The fire department came around 2:30 am and it was too late because the fire has already spread to the reception area plus there was 3 Burning cars that were close to the reception where our room was located.
“We never got any assistance from your staff. There was no fire alarms in the rooms, no fire drills, nothing that could help us to know if there was a fire.
“I found myself trying to extinguish the fire using a hosepipe trying to buy ourselves some time so that we could self evacuate the place,” said Senona on the page.
Another guest, Megan van der Merwe, said: “We left with just the clothes on our back and our vehicle. Material things can be replaced, but family can't be. The fire moved at lightning speed, fuelled by gale force winds.
“The utter devastation seen in the aftermath will be etched into our memory forever. We have many years of happy memories at Bushman's Nek Berg and Trout Resort and we await your rebuild. We know you will rise up, even better than before.”
First Group issued an apology to the guests affected by the fire incident and called for support in dealing with the situation.
“To all our valued guests who have experienced this terrible disaster alongside our Bushman's Nek family, we are deeply sorry for the trauma and loss you have endured.
“We will be reaching out soon to address your remaining questions and concerns and to our guests that are arriving in the next few days, our team will be reaching out to you soon.
“As devastating as this situation is, our management team is committed to finding the opportunity that always follows calamity.
“We ask for your patience as we continue to manage the situation on site, which is now largely under control. We are currently focused on relocating guests and staff, many of whom have lost some or all of their possessions.”