20 July 2004

By Clifford Mogotsi

IT WAS the recurring tragedy of shack fires that prompted Bethuel Motha, a Mogale City environmental health practitioner, to launch a campaign to educate paraffin users about the dangers of the fuel.

Motha recently addressed a handful of residents of Tudor Shaft informal settlement. He said people needed to take precautions when using paraffin stoves, prima stoves, lamps and other devices - or risk losing their lives.

"We have come up with the solution of spreading awareness and information about safe use of paraffin," he said.

Motha appealed to residents to prevent fires by storing paraffin high up and out of sight, by closing lids properly, by making use of a proper funnel and by monitoring stoves.

According to Luke Hartog of the West Rand District fire-prevention unit, shacks tend to burn down when people leave water boiling on stoves - and then fall asleep.

Some people leave stoves close to their beds or at the entrance of their dwellings; they are then trapped by flames.

"I remember two shacks were burned down to the floor at Soul City informal settlement, near Tudor Shaft. One person died inside and others were injured. We suspected that they were using paraffin stoves," says Hartog.

Motha, in conjunction with the Paraffin Safety Association of South Africa, has also introduced blue safety lids and stickers to identify bottles of paraffin.

"This will prevent children from drinking this poisonous liquid as the caps are easy to close tight," said Motha.

Many shacks in Tudor Shaft have been razed by fires started by paraffin stoves and heaters.

Patrick Mxoli, 41, who has lived in a two-room shack since the formation of Tudor Shaft in 1995, has nightmares about the place.

"I can't remember how many shacks were burned down here, but I have lost neighbours and friends in this area because of the careless usage of paraffin stoves," recalls Mxoli.

Motha's paraffin-awareness campaign aims to visit Soul City, Sinqobile, Pango Camp, Hekpoort and Magaliesburg.

• Violet Makhubela, a 33-year-old spaza-shop owner and paraffin vendor, sits in her tiny two-room shack at Tudor Shaft, surrounded by several 25-litre paraffin containers she buys from a local dealer.

She admits to seeing shacks burning in the area but says: "I have two children: Precious, 5, and Zekile, 10. They need food, clothes; I can only survive from R75 profit that I make from paraffin and a little that I get from my mini spaza-shop."

Other reports from the safety association show that paraffin can cause headaches, dizziness, sleepiness, watery eyes, breathing difficulties and even death.

According to Nazeema Ahmed, the managing director of the safety association, there's shockingly little data available.

"Based on the information we have, we estimate that something like 40 000 households nationally are affected by paraffin-related fires each year. Incredibly, roughly 43 percent of these experience more than one fire annually, an incidence that may be even higher in densely populated areas such as Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town."

The most important contribution you can make is to help overcome the apathy about paraffin safety, says Ahmed.

"By informing yourself and raising it as an issue with friends, employees, colleagues and the media you can help us to reduce the paraffin-related incidents and in so doing can save lives", he says.

Emergency Numbers

• Fire and emergency services: 107
• Ambulance: 10 177
• Police: 10 111
• Toll-free poison emergency central control: 0800 333 444
• Tygerburg poison information centre: 021 931 6129
• Red Cross Hospital poison information: 021 689 5227

Important safety messages from the Paraffin Safety Association of SA

• Keep paraffin up and out of reach of young children

Paraffin is dangerous. It can kill if not treated properly. It is best to keep it locked away. Store paraffin in its own special bottle. Avoid storing it in a cold-drink bottle or milk container. Put the cap of the bottle back on after use. Use a funnel to pour paraffin; do not use a cup.

• If a child swallows paraffin act quickly

Do not wait - get the child to a clinic or hospital immediately. Give the child nothing to eat or drink. Do not make the child vomit. If paraffin is spilt on clothing, remove the clothing to prevent the breathing in paraffin fumes. If just a drop of paraffin gets into the lungs it can cause serious damage. Do not wait. Get the child to a clinic or hospital immediately.

• Give nothing to eat or drink if a child swallows paraffin

Do not give any medicine, traditional medicines, food, milk, or home remedies. Provide comfort and support. Have an emergency plan to get the patient to a clinic or hospital.

• Keep the air in your home clean and safe

Let fresh air into the room when you are using a paraffin appliance - fresh air clears the bad fumes. Paraffin should be clear - uncontaminated with any other fuel such as petrol or diesel. It is a good investment to buy the safest stoves, heaters and lamps. In this way you can combat air pollution and runaway fires.

• Big fires start with a small flame

Turn appliances off when you leave home or go to sleep. All fires and appliances must be supervised. Place paraffin appliances far away from things that can burn. Put paraffin appliances on a steady and even surface where they cannot be knocked or pulled over. Keep a bucket of dry sand ready to put out paraffin fires.

• In the event of a runaway fire

Stay calm; do not panic. Raise the alarm and get out. Call the emergency services. Know where to find their numbers. If the building is filled with smoke, crawl out on hands and knees. Should your clothes catch fire, stop, drop and roll over to put out the flames. Keep a bucket of dry sand ready to put out paraffin fires.

• Act fast to cool a burn

Stay calm; do not panic. Put the burnt area in cool water for 20 minutes. Do not put anything on the burn - no butter, oil, lotions or medicines, as these will make the burn worse. Get the person to a hospital or clinic immediately.