THE 2014 fire season began officially on June 1, and already smoke has been seen in the skies surrounding Vryheid, emanating from the veld and farmlands.
And given the good rains during the past summer, there is a lot of fuel our there ready to burn. The situation is dangerously compounded by the strong winds the area has already experienced and the absence of frost, which kills the grass and prepares it for effective controlled burning.
At this stage of the season, no brushwood can be burned, and block-burning is not recommended in the current conditions. The advice from the Fire Prevention Association (FPA) is for land owners, prior to burning, to make sure of the weather forecast and to inform neighbours of an intention to burn.
In fact, Fire Prevention Officer for the FPA, Steven Hibbert, advises neighbours, for their own protection, to get a written agreement signed regarding the burning of fire breaks. In this regard, the FPA has a draft document which is available to FPA members, which covers all scenarios.
At this stage, Mr Hibbert also recommends that land owners have all their fire-fighting equipment, and radios, serviced and sorted.
For more information about the FPA, for weather updates, and if you see a fire in the area that you believe is a danger that needs reporting, please phone Steven Hibbert at 083 769 0467 or Johan le Roux at 034 982 1882.
