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26 July 2024
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Fires still raging across Lowveld and Highveld regions
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A total of 15 000 hectares of land had already been destroyed by the veld and forest fires across certain regions of the Lowveld and Highveld from last week Thursday to Tuesday. The cause of these fires is not yet known as is the damages, which would be assessed at a later stage. The Lowveld and Escarpment Fire Protection Association’s (LEFPA) manager, André Scheepers, said that since last Thursday they had been battling to contain 15 different fires in parts of Bushbuckridge, White River, Mbombela, Kaapsehoop, Barberton, Lydenburg, Sabie, Badplaas and Machadodorp. The thousands of hectares of land damaged by the fires include grass, grazing, orchards and commercial forest.
Scheepers said the operation to fight the fires was led by the LEFPA and the teams involved are Leading Edge Aviation, risk management resources, land owners, commercial forest, Working on Fire with air support and numerous ground crews. Support was also received from the City of Mbombela and Barberton volunteers.
All 15 deployed aircraft are from the Lowveld region, including 802 Air Tractors, helicopters and spotter planes. On Saturday, 6 July 2024 alone, 180 0000 litters of water were used, excluding that drawn from rivers and dams to contain the Kaapsehoop fires. “We cannot give the timeline for each area because we concentrated on containing the fires and it is very difficult to give details or a breakdown. Each fire has its own challenges due to its terrain, accessibility and vegetation. That is why it is hard to specify a timeline; but all of them presented challenges to stop it,” said Scheepers.
As of Tuesday, 9 July 2024, eight fires had been contained but crews are still battling the remaining four, which can change direction at any time due to the windy conditions. “We cannot rule out that this was the worst fire we ever encountered in the regions because we are still in fire season and some of the fires are not yet contained. We can only declare that after the fire season. We are still expecting more fighters because the forecast we got from the South African Weather Services indicates that we are going to have a dry season until the end of October. However, we will remain vigilant until then. We are calling on members of the public and landowners not to start any open or uncontrolled fires,” Scheepers urged.
According to Scheepers, due to the wind, it would take a couple of days before the smoke in the sky would clear. “The current smoke conditions are as a result of the wind and the weather conditions and some of the fires are still smouldering and creating smoke even though they are contained. Smoke is still visible in the sky or mountains,” Scheepers thanked all who are involved for their hard work and endless hours they put into containing the fires.
He also thanked members of the public for their support and the food parcels delivered to the pilots and ground crews.
Land owners, in order to prevent fires, are advised to implement the following:
Fires and emergencies can be reported on 0860 66 3473.
Kaapsehoop wild horses perish in runaway fires
“One day, only the stories of these iconic horses will be left for the next generation.” This worrying statement by a member of the Kaapsehoop Concerned Residents follows after at least 10 horses of the renowned Kaapsehoop wild horse herd were killed as a result of the recent wild fires in the area.
Six of the horses had such severe burn wounds that they had to be euthanised but others could not escape the fire.
Fears are mounting that as the search continues, more horses with injuries or even fatalities may be discovered, which could be detrimental to the already uncertain future of the specie.
Source: André Scheepers, manager, Lowveld and Escarpment Fire Protection Association’s (LEFPA); The Lowvelder
Scheepers said the operation to fight the fires was led by the LEFPA and the teams involved are Leading Edge Aviation, risk management resources, land owners, commercial forest, Working on Fire with air support and numerous ground crews. Support was also received from the City of Mbombela and Barberton volunteers.
All 15 deployed aircraft are from the Lowveld region, including 802 Air Tractors, helicopters and spotter planes. On Saturday, 6 July 2024 alone, 180 0000 litters of water were used, excluding that drawn from rivers and dams to contain the Kaapsehoop fires. “We cannot give the timeline for each area because we concentrated on containing the fires and it is very difficult to give details or a breakdown. Each fire has its own challenges due to its terrain, accessibility and vegetation. That is why it is hard to specify a timeline; but all of them presented challenges to stop it,” said Scheepers.
As of Tuesday, 9 July 2024, eight fires had been contained but crews are still battling the remaining four, which can change direction at any time due to the windy conditions. “We cannot rule out that this was the worst fire we ever encountered in the regions because we are still in fire season and some of the fires are not yet contained. We can only declare that after the fire season. We are still expecting more fighters because the forecast we got from the South African Weather Services indicates that we are going to have a dry season until the end of October. However, we will remain vigilant until then. We are calling on members of the public and landowners not to start any open or uncontrolled fires,” Scheepers urged.
According to Scheepers, due to the wind, it would take a couple of days before the smoke in the sky would clear. “The current smoke conditions are as a result of the wind and the weather conditions and some of the fires are still smouldering and creating smoke even though they are contained. Smoke is still visible in the sky or mountains,” Scheepers thanked all who are involved for their hard work and endless hours they put into containing the fires.
He also thanked members of the public for their support and the food parcels delivered to the pilots and ground crews.
Land owners, in order to prevent fires, are advised to implement the following:
- Get airstrips operational and grade or slash all roads
- Ensure all fire-related training is complete and medical check-ups are done
- Remind all staff of the dangers of warming fires and braai areas which are still smouldering and should not be left alone.
Fires and emergencies can be reported on 0860 66 3473.
Kaapsehoop wild horses perish in runaway fires
“One day, only the stories of these iconic horses will be left for the next generation.” This worrying statement by a member of the Kaapsehoop Concerned Residents follows after at least 10 horses of the renowned Kaapsehoop wild horse herd were killed as a result of the recent wild fires in the area.
Six of the horses had such severe burn wounds that they had to be euthanised but others could not escape the fire.
Fears are mounting that as the search continues, more horses with injuries or even fatalities may be discovered, which could be detrimental to the already uncertain future of the specie.
Source: André Scheepers, manager, Lowveld and Escarpment Fire Protection Association’s (LEFPA); The Lowvelder
