Deputy Director of forest and veld fire oversight for the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries in the Free State, Malcolm Procter, says preliminary indications are that 14 000 hectares of land were destroyed in a fire in the Warden district while about 2 500 hectares burned in five separate fires in the Lejweleputswa District. More than 10 000 hectares have burned in the Kroonstad area where three separate fires raged out of control. In Senekal more than 2 000 hectares and in Bethlehem about 3 500 hectares were destroyed in 16 different fires. Procter says in Vredefort and Parys 500 hectares and 600 hectares were destroyed irrespectively.

This comes after firefighters from Working on Fire in the Free State worked around the clock in assisting various Fire Protection Associations across the province. They worked to extinguish about 12 veld fires in different areas raging out of control because of strong winds. Working on Fire spokesperson, Wayne Mokhethi, says Working on Fire teams were dispatched in areas and battled throughout the night to contain these fires.

He urges communities, especially those in rural areas including farmers, to be vigilant against runaway veld fires. People should also be aware of the South African Weather Service’s daily Fire Danger Index (FDI) and wind conditions. When an FDI is high and wind conditions are strong, people should avoid starting open fires as these fires tend to spread fast with a damaging effect.

He also appeals to communities to clear rubble and remove flammable fluids around their houses, especially on vast farms when weather conditions are favourable for runaway veld fires. People should also be in constant contact with their local Fire Protection Associations (FPA’s) which will, if necessary, notify Working on Fire teams to assist in containing fires.

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