At least 800 hectares destroyed in Nelshoogte blaze
Agricultural land and commercial forestry land were lost in a fire on Sunday.
MBOMBELA – The fire kept most of the Lowveld Escarpment Fire Protection Agency (Lefpa) aerial resources and numerous Working on Fire (WOF) ground crews busy the entire day.
According to Lefpa manager, André Scheepers, it was a busy weekend in most of the Lowveld, as weather conditions were in the orange for most of the area.
On the same day, two smaller fires broke out on the N4 in the Crocodile Gorge and the R40 near Hermansburg. Scheepers said they were smaller and contained by farmers.
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The Nelshoogte fire started at around 07:30 on Sunday. Aircraft were stood down at times, as the wind speed reached as high as 65 kilometres per hour. The Fire Danger Index at the fire was recorded at 80 in the red.
In the late afternoon the wind dropped significantly and all hand crews were hard at work to stop the blaze before the sun set at approximately 17:17.
Company hand crews, with WOF ground teams, worked throughout the night and the fire was contained at around 02:00 on Monday.
According to Scheepers, crews spent most of Monday in mop-up operations, as one area remained burning. A reconnaissance flight was done to determine the exact extent of the damage caused by the fire yesterday. He expected their mop-up operations to continue well into Monday evening.
“It is still burning in places in the gorges. We are also keeping an eye that the fire does not flare up again.
“It was difficult due to the wind,” Scheepers added. “Usually, the earlier a fire starts, the harder it is to contain. In the mornings it is still becoming hotter, the wind can pick up and humidity falls. After 14:00 is becomes cooler, the wind drops, the humidity rises and there is shade in places,” he explained.
To date, this year, there have been more fires than in the same period of the fire season last year. “It is hot and dry and there is a lot of burning material due to the summer rains.”
Scheepers said they suspect that the cause of the blaze was human, and probably negligence on someone’s part. He cautioned people to be very careful, and not to make any unnecessary fires.
Lefpa urged all to take extra care, as the weather forecast for most of the week is high yellow and therefore not favourable for burning operations.
“Be reminded of the Fire Prohibition for Ehlanzeni District. Burning permits are needed from June 1 until the end of October,” Scheepers cautioned.
Burning permits are available from Lefpa. Contact it on 086-066-3473.
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