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17 February 2023
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Cape Winelands fire crews tackle wildland fire at Slanghoek in Rawsonville, Western Cape
The Cape Winelands District Municipality’s fire crews tackled a wildland fire at Slanghoek in the Western Cape. Jo-Anne Otto, deputy director of Communication Services at the Cape Winelands District Municipality, said, “The Cape Winelands District Municipality’s (CWDMs) Fire Services received the call alerting them to the fire in the Slanghoek Valley at 20h18 on the night of Sunday, 5 February 2023. The incident commanders on duty at the time were regional commander Lötter Lackay and shift commander John Hendrik. Divisional supervisors were Attie le Roux and Alec Wehr during the first shift and Nathan Haas and Morné Isaacs in the second.”
“Upon arrival at the incident, a medium sized area of unkept veld consisting of bushes, grass, Proteas and alien vegetation including black wattle and blue gums, was burning. The fire was spreading quickly aided by a strong wind. Due to the difficult terrain major pumpers were unable to gain access to the fire; purpose-built land cruisers were used to enter the area”, said Otto.
“At the most intense stage of the fire, there were two major pumpers, three purpose-built Landcruiser’s and one light vehicle and crews, these were supported by four ground teams from the CWDM’s contracted services, NCC”, she added.
“Active fire fighting continued throughout the night, with teams paying focused attention to the protection of infrastructure and orchards. The fires occurred in a relatively narrow valley where wildland meets directly with orchards, agricultural infrastructure and homes.”
“The conditions presented several challenges, the wildland itself is situated on a steep incline, the ground is littered with tree stumps and branches from previous vegetation clearing, which together with the very strong winds, created conditions that were favourable to runaway fires. The densely overgrown vegetation made it difficult for the major pumpers to access the actual flames.”
“Aerial resources were deployed in the morning to assist the teams on the ground. Through incredible teamwork and good planning, this fire was contained by noon on the Monday, 6 February 2023. Ground teams stayed on scene late into the day to continue with monitoring and mopping up operations. The call ended at 18h32.”
“This fire is one of a number experienced this season where a fire occurred in an unmaintained piece of veld and access was hampered by dense, mostly alien vegetation. In these instances, many techniques are required to prevent the fire from spreading into farmland. In general, in these cases, the undergrowth is due to contractors removing only the wood suitable for sale as firewood and leaving unusable timber on the ground. These, together with the new growth which sprouts thin branches from the leftover stump, create very messy and dense vegetation, which create difficult fire fighting conditions”, concluded Otto.
Photos: John Hendricks
Source: Jo-Anne Otto, deputy director: Communication Services, Cape Winelands District Municipality
“Upon arrival at the incident, a medium sized area of unkept veld consisting of bushes, grass, Proteas and alien vegetation including black wattle and blue gums, was burning. The fire was spreading quickly aided by a strong wind. Due to the difficult terrain major pumpers were unable to gain access to the fire; purpose-built land cruisers were used to enter the area”, said Otto.
“At the most intense stage of the fire, there were two major pumpers, three purpose-built Landcruiser’s and one light vehicle and crews, these were supported by four ground teams from the CWDM’s contracted services, NCC”, she added.
“Active fire fighting continued throughout the night, with teams paying focused attention to the protection of infrastructure and orchards. The fires occurred in a relatively narrow valley where wildland meets directly with orchards, agricultural infrastructure and homes.”
“The conditions presented several challenges, the wildland itself is situated on a steep incline, the ground is littered with tree stumps and branches from previous vegetation clearing, which together with the very strong winds, created conditions that were favourable to runaway fires. The densely overgrown vegetation made it difficult for the major pumpers to access the actual flames.”
“Aerial resources were deployed in the morning to assist the teams on the ground. Through incredible teamwork and good planning, this fire was contained by noon on the Monday, 6 February 2023. Ground teams stayed on scene late into the day to continue with monitoring and mopping up operations. The call ended at 18h32.”
“This fire is one of a number experienced this season where a fire occurred in an unmaintained piece of veld and access was hampered by dense, mostly alien vegetation. In these instances, many techniques are required to prevent the fire from spreading into farmland. In general, in these cases, the undergrowth is due to contractors removing only the wood suitable for sale as firewood and leaving unusable timber on the ground. These, together with the new growth which sprouts thin branches from the leftover stump, create very messy and dense vegetation, which create difficult fire fighting conditions”, concluded Otto.
Photos: John Hendricks
Source: Jo-Anne Otto, deputy director: Communication Services, Cape Winelands District Municipality
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