Although fires raging through South Africa are being brought under control, the Working on Fire (WoF) programme warned on Thursday morning that fire danger has increased in three provinces.
It said that in Mpumalanga, Limpopo and Gauteng the ”high orange” on the fire-danger rating index has risen to red, and conditions are making this area extremely sensitive to fire.
There have been seven fires in the Louis Trichardt area in Limpopo, including one that earlier threatened houses and a sawmill.
One spotter and three WoF hand crews were deployed to the area and all the blazes are now contained.
In KwaZulu-Natal, a fire in Ugie in the Langeni area has been contained. The area was experiencing wind speeds of up to 100kph.
All blazes in the Western Cape have been rained out. Fires around Tsitsikamma and the Southern Cape have generally been contained or partially extinguished. There was a light drizzle in the area on Thursday.
In the Eastern Cape towards Port Elizabeth, fires have been contained, although there are still hot spots causing problems.
”There are currently spotter aircraft doing aerial assessments, and it should be possible to get an indication of the extent of the damage later today,” WoF said.
It said many houses were burnt down in the southern and Eastern Cape, and thousands of hectares of forestry destroyed.
The main routes in the area, which were closed on Wednesday, have been reopened.
Inspector Marianette Olivier said a 60-year-old farm worker, Gogo Gilbert, was killed in a blaze in Boshoek in the Jeffrey’s Bay area on Wednesday.
Many people were reportedly treated for burn wounds and smoke inhalation at Humansdorp hospital.
People were evacuated between Humansdorp and Hankey and from the Sunnyside area near the Van Stadens River bridge.
On Wednesday, 17 fires burnt out of control in the southern and Western Cape alone.
WoF is a national programme established to promote an integrated approach to fire management. It is supported by the government, commercial forestry and conservation agencies. — Sapa