44 fires fought by Working on Fire in the past 24 hours
Working on Fire provided fire suppression services at more than 800 fires and limited the damage to just under 122 000 hectares.
POLOKWANE – The Department of Environmental Affairs’ Working on Fire programme were kept busy during the past 24 hours, as more than 800 firefighters fought 44 fires across South Africa’s winter fire season provinces.
Working on Fire is a government programme that has 5000 fully trained wildland firefighters at 200 bases throughout South Africa and provide an essential wildland fire suppression service to landowners and municipalities across the country.
During the past 24 hours, 35 Working on Fire teams fought these 44 fires in various provinces:
• Eastern Cape – 2
• Free State – 12
• Gauteng – 9
• KwaZulu-Natal – 8
• Limpopo – 1
• Mpumalanga – 11
• North West – 1
In addition, Working on Fire provided 3 spotter planes, 1 fixed wing water bomber and 3 helicopters to provide aerial fire fighting support.
Except for the Western Cape (Summer Fire Season), the rest of South Africa experiences a winter fire season. Due to the current drought experienced throughout the country, coupled with high temperatures, we have had unusual fire activities in various parts of our country and our fire fighters belonging to Working on Fire will remain on high alert.
Working on Fire has also established a national deployment team which can be dispatched to anywhere in the country to assist farmers and land owners with fires suppression efforts.
All the firefighters will remain on high alert and will be ready to provide fire fighting services to landowners and municipalities.
“We urge communities and landowners to remain vigilant and not to start any unnecessary fires. We also urge people to have a watch on the daily Fire Danger Index (FDI) warnings issued by the SA Weather Service,” Matema Gwangwa, spokesperson for WOF told Review.
The Working on Fire aerial firefighting aircraft flew more than 600 hours during these fires.
WOF is calling on all people to please keep away from making open fires and from burning rubbish for example because with the wind as it is, the spreading of a fire happens within a few seconds.
