'It is extremely hectic'

2005-09-26 10:32

Johannesburg - Wildfires which were still raging in four provinces on Monday morning have caused damage running into million of rands, a public-private firefighters organisation said.

Working on Fire (WOF) spokesperson, Val Charlton, said fires were still out of control in KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga and Limpopo. A fire in the Free State was being calmed by cooler weather.

"With the exception of the Free State, all the fires are in forested areas. There has been millions of rands worth of damage," Charlton said.

Three fires were out of control in the Nelspruit area in Mpumalanga.

"We have 13 teams on the ground working on fighting those fires," she said.

In the Free State cooler weather was now coming in and the wind direction had changed, which had helped firefighters.

"The fire in Rosendal is starting to come under control. The wind direction has changed so the fire is burning back on itself.

"The firefighters will stay on the lines there. They are about to change crews. We will be mopping up going on a 25km line, hitting hot spots. The mountainous areas have been left to burn out."

Cooler weather was moving into KwaZulu-Natal which was helping to bring nine fires in central Zululand under control.

Other parts of the province were "extremely hectic.

"Baswan in northern Zululand is still out of control. The situation there is not good at all. Four crews are working there and another two have been sent in. Aerial resources have been in the air since first light.

"It will take two to three hours to get that fire under control."

Fifteen fires were raging in the Richard's Bay and St Lucia areas in KwaZulu-Natal on Sunday.

Firefighters battled 20 fires

Firefighters battled 20 fires in the same area on Saturday, many caused by lightning strikes.

Very high temperatures were expected in Mpumalanga and Limpopo on Monday.

Three fires were burning in other parts of Mpumalanga. Two fires were burning in Tzaneen.

The temperature was expected to reach 38 degrees in some part of the Limpopo.

"We are expecting another busy day in Limpopo," Charlton said.

"In Mpumalanga a very strong wind is blowing. It is also very dry."

Charlton said the fires were being caused by the hot and dry weather.

"There are very high temperatures across the country and very strong winds with low humidity. These are the perfect condition for fire.

"Anything that creates a spark - be it a car backfiring or a cigarette or a cooking fire - is enough to start a fire."

Relief crews were being mobilised in the Eastern and Southern Cape.

WOF is a partnership between the department of water and forestry, the department of provincial government's national disaster management unit and commercial forestry partners.

The firefighters were previously unemployed and were recruited under government's Expanded Public Works Programme.

- SAPA