Firefighting teams are battling to extinguish 15 forest and veld fires that continue to burn out of control in Mpumalanga, Limpopo and KwaZulu-Natal, Working on Fire (WF) said on Monday.
WF spokesperson Val Charlton said about 26 WF firefighting teams are battling the blazes across the northern parts of the country.
”Many of the crews have been without adequate rest for over a week,” she said.
WF on Monday issued a national warning, saying the fire risk in the northern and eastern parts of South Africa, including Gauteng, are bordering on code red.
”It’s so dry that when a fire starts, it’s like setting a match to petrol,” said Chris Austin, WF ground-operations manager.
”There is no question that in these conditions a cigarette butt tossed out a car window will start a fire.”
The WF programme is a partnership initiative between the national departments of water and forestry and local and provincial government, under the national disaster-management unit, and private forestry-sector partners as a project under the government’s expanded public-works programme.
Trevor Wilson, WF coordinator in northern KwaZulu-Natal, said on Monday continuing fires in the area are putting a lot of strain on firefighting teams.
”The Thandaza and Mbonambi teams have worked 20-hour days for the past 10 days. Our firefighters are totally exhausted. All we can do now is wait for rain,” he said.
One of the main fires in the area, started by lightning on September 25, is still burning near Nyalazi, north of the Greater St Lucia Wetland Park.
WF said weather conditions predicted for the region for the next two days remain ”hot and windy,” with the first sign of cooler weather only expected on Thursday. No rain is forecast.
Charlton said the Ndondatha fire in an area west of Kwambonambi was extinguished on Monday.
At least 7 500ha of forestry plantations and 1 000ha of conservation land were destroyed.
Charlton said all WF teams across the country are on standby, with teams in cooler areas being air-lifted to relieve colleagues. — Sapa