20 die in fires and storms
2008-09-01 15:27
Johannesburg - Dozens of fires fanned by gale force winds left at least 20 people dead over the weekend and destroyed thousands of hectares of veld, officials said on Monday.
Working on Fire (WoF) said on Monday afternoon that about 150 veld fires had been raging since the weekend.
Forty fires had been reported in KwaZulu-Natal, 49 in Mpumalanga with 14 new fires on Monday, 11 fires in the Free State, five in Gauteng, 14 in Limpopo and one each in the North West and Limpopo.
Three people, including an eight-year-old and 11-year-old, burnt to death and five others were hospitalised in the Eastern Cape after their shack caught alight during a veld fire, police reported.
Seven die in KZN
In KwaZulu-Natal, 14 people were killed in several fires that raged through the province, the Emergency Medical Rescue Service said.
Another three people died in fires in Mpumalanga and 23 suffered from burn wounds, WoF spokesperson Val Charlton said.
In Turffontein, Johannesburg, a five-year-old girl was injured when a tree fell onto her during a windy spell on Sunday, Netcare 911 paramedics reported.
Thousands of hectares burnt down, most notable in KwaZulu-Natal (10 000 hectares), the Free State (26 000 hectares) and Mpumalanga where 22 000 hectares, of which 13 000 is forestry, burnt down.
In KwaZulu-Natal, between 20 and 40 rural homes were damaged as well as a house at the Drakensberg Sun Hotel.
In Cape Town, mop-up operations continued after storms battered the Western Cape and snowfall was recorded in Ceres and as far as the Hex River mountains.
Another cold front
Forecaster at the SA Weather Service Evert Scholtz said although the past weekend's cold front was moving away, another was expected this coming weekend.
"This is almost typical weather for August-September with late winds and early spring. There are hot conditions but you still get cold fronts hitting the Cape," said Scholtz.
He warned that veld fires would continue raging as winds were still strong, especially in Swaziland, eastern Limpopo and northern KwaZulu-Natal where 25 people had been hospitalised.
Free State police reported that two houses burnt down in the Bethlehem area and several farmers had reported livestock dying in veld fires.
Rough seas, which saw three-storey high waves at Cape Point, would continue until about Wednesday.
"There is another cold front coming during the weekend, reaching the Cape by Thursday night and it will cause cooler conditions over Gauteng, Mpumalanga and Limpopo by Saturday.
"There will be a strong north-westerly wind, hot and windy conditions... the danger for veld fires or runaway fires will be great," warned Scholtz.
It was expected to start warming up countrywide next week.
- SAPA