Working on Fire urge community to be cautious as windy season approaches

Members of the public, particularly landowners, are advised to be extra careful and assure their fire control measures are ready.  Wildfires, if not reported early can result in great devastation. It is very important that communities be vigilant.

People should report any signs of fires to their local fire authorities and fire protection associations, bearing in mind that delays have disastrous effects, as wildfires spread within minutes.

This can cause a property to burn to the ground, destroying the environment and most importantly, lives can be lost.

In order to stay alert WoF together with various Fire Protection Associations (FPAs) have placed more than 500 firefighters with specialised firefighting training on standby operation, to offer any additional ground and aerial firefighting support in different parts of Mpumalamga.

Between June-July 2018, 79 fires have been extinguished throughout the province, with an estimation of 1 000 hectares of land burnt, these include plantation and grassland fires.

Ways to reduce possible fires:

• Those living in thatched-roof houses close to open fields must clean up areas around their property and warn kids about the dangers of playing with fires.
• Motorists must reduce speed, switch on hazard lights, and close car windows when smoke submerges on freeways.
• Report fires immediately, the wind canmake a fire spread rapidly.
• Members of the public must remove unnecessary rubble on their properties ,that pose a serious fire threat.
• Residents residing next to grasslands need to ensure that there is sufficient fire breaks between their properties and these grasslands

According to Maseko from WoF, the 2018 winter fire season threatens to be challenging, this is as a result of the ongoing drought experienced across the country.

Original content: Working on Fire in Mpumalanga