Tributes for firefighter pilot killed in crash
Tributes have been pouring in on social media for Nico Heyns – the pilot who lost his life on Tuesday morning (23 October) whilst battling a fire in the Vermaaklikheid area which falls in the Hessequa municipal boundary.
Heyns, who resided in Knysna, was a pillar of strength within the fire-fighting community and was widely praised over the years for his courage and determination in battling flames all over the Garden Route.
He was also one of the most experienced fire bombing pilots in the region and was actively and tirelessly involved in battling the Knysna Fires of June 2017.
During his career, he regularly drew the admiration and respect from all spectrums of society.
In 2016, he was described as a pilot who works like a machine, when for two days non-stop he works to stop the fires that had threatened parts of the holiday towns of St Francis Bay and Cape St Francis. He was acknowledged for playing an instrumental role in preventing the blaze from reaching the informal settlement of Sea Vista, on the border of the nature reserve where it originated.
Heyns was also hailed a hero when he fought a fire running wild through the Velie reeds that had threatened homes in Wilderness. Here residents expressed relief when they saw Heyns in his Huey helicopter and Bambi bucket.
In an interview with George Herald last year, Heyns stated that aerial firefighting was his passion and has been doing it for more than two decades. He used to own his own helicopter service, Heyns Helicopter Service, for many years before selling and joining Kishugu Aviation (Pty) Ltd. Kishugu is contracted to Working on Fire – a government job-creation initiative where ground firefighting personnel are employed.
Heyns was also always humble about his achievements, and often attributed his skills to the support from ground teams.
As soon as news broke of his death on Tuesday social media users showered tributes in his memory, expressing heartbreak at the news with some stating that the Garden Route has lost a legend.
Minister of Local Government, Environmental Affairs and Development Planning, Anton Bredell, expressed his condolences on behalf of the provincial government in a statement on Tuesday.
“The family, friends and the community of firefighters are in our thoughts at this time,” he said.
Read a related article: Fatal helicopter crash during firefighting
‘We bring you the latest Garden Route, Hessequa, Karoo News’
Source: Knysna Plett Herald News