Fires finally contained in the Kruger National Park
It was reopened after the fires had been brought under control.
The air was thick with smoke last week due to four runaway fires that raged in the Kruger National Park.
Two fires erupted near the Phabeni Gate on Thursday which resulted in the gate being closed. It was reopened after the fires had been brought under control.
Mr William Mabasa, KNP general manager of communications and marketing said one originated in the park at Skukuza, another came from across the Mozambique border and two started in Phabeni. The worst fire was reportedly in the northern part of the park near the Olifants Rest Camp.
By last week Friday the fires had all been contained, after ravaging the park for nearly a week. The weekend’s cool weather and light rain helped to decrease their severity and firefighters were able to bring them under control.
Visitors were cautioned about heavy smoke in the burnt areas between Phabeni and Skukuza and controlled fires that were still burning. They were put out and the smoke cleared up by Sunday, leaving visitors to enjoy the cloudy weather. No KNP conservation staff members or Working on Fire (WoF) staff were injured on duty, but a rhino had unfortunately died after being engulfed in flames.
Mabasa described it as a sad loss for the park. Two young giraffes had also reportedly been injured due to the fires. Area surveillance was done to determine if there were any other casualties. No structural damage had been done.
“On behalf of the KNP, I would like to thank everyone involved for their hard work and a job well done,” Mabaza said.
Working on Fire, that assisted the KNP, attended a total of 18 fires across Mpumalanga last Thursday. All 24 teams had to be deployed to get them under control. Provincial general manager of WoF, Mr Martin Bolton said firefighters would keep on saving the environment and preventing unnecessary loss of life. “With the community we can maintain zero unwanted veld fires in the province.” He urged people to take extra care when making open fires, especially in areas surrounded by dry bush.
Visitors to the KNP should be on the lookout for fires and refrain from starting any during the next few weeks. A fire warning will last until October, as hot and windy conditions increase the chances of out-of-control veld fires.
