The Kloofendal Nature Reserve fire was controlled
By burning away the dead grass, it allows new grass to grow, so the animals in the reserve have fresh grass to graze on and bush encroachment becomes less of an issue.
After spending months stuck indoors, places like the Kloofendal Nature Reserve bring a sense of relief and positivity as residents can take in the fresh air and go for walks through the beautiful scenery. As one of Roodepoort’s pride and joys, the reserve was the centre of panic for residents on Monday, 14 September.
Residents throughout Kloofendal and the surrounding areas shared their worries for the reserve after a seemingly uncontrolled fire caught their attention. They were not only concerned about what would be left of the reserve, but also the well-being of the animals that call Kloofendal Nature Reserve their home.
According to the reserve manager, Phillip Mkhombo, there was no need for residents to panic because the fire was controlled. “We are burning to remove moribund on the ground,” he said in response to the numerous calls and messages being received on Monday night.
Phillip further stated the important reasons why the reserve needs to make use of controlled fires, stating that the issue of bush encroachment (which occurs when trees take the place of dead grass), is unfortunately a very apparent problem at the Kloofendal Nature Reserve, which should predominantly be grassland.
By burning away the dead grass, it allows new grass to grow, so the animals in the reserve have fresh grass to graze on and bush encroachment becomes less of an issue. Controlled fires such as this one are also a necessity because in natural conditions such as those found in the reserve, summer storms with lightning are a big contributing factor to veld fires, so the grass that died in the winter season needs to be burnt away.
The controlled burning in specific areas and the procedures to be followed are clearly outlined in the reserve’s ecological management plan, with one of the first points in the preparation section being: “Before implementing prescribed burns it is essential that the infrastructure to control fires is in place: firefighting equipment, water, firebreaks and manpower”.
Johannesburg City Parks and Zoo (JCPZ) spokesperson, Jenny Moodley, confirmed that new firebreaks have recently been made at the reserve, so contingency measures were in place at the time of the blaze to keep the fire under control.
At approximately 9.45pm on Monday, residents began expressing their concerns on social media at the sheer size of the blaze. Onlookers were panicking, wondering if the reserve would still be okay the next day and if the birds, mice, mountain reedbuck and other animals that call the reserve their home would survive. Some residents even shared their concerns as to why, if the fire was controlled, was it started at night, where there would be limited visibility.
JCPZ have been approached for comment on these issues, but by the time this article was published none had been received. Phillip stated that the fire was begun at roughly 5pm on Monday, when it was still light outside, and burnt throughout the night, coming to an end at approximately 2am on Tuesday morning.
An update will be published as soon as JCPZ has commented.
