OTJIWARONGO: The Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry’s chief forester for the central regions on Thursday said she is concerned about a veld fire which has been raging near Otavi since last Friday.

Helena Lutombi told Nampa in an interview here on Thursday that a large piece of farmland in the area between Otavi and the Ohorongo Cement Factory has been destroyed due to the fire.

She could not say exactly how much vegetation had been destroyed by today.

“My team (foresters) and a number of commercial farmers are attempting to extinguish it, but it is being fuelled by winds and dry grass,” she said.

It is suspected that the fire might have been started by a charcoal worker working at one of the farms, or a commercial farmer who had been attempting to clear his land.