South Africa Fires
South Africa Fires
30 July 2007
AQUA satellite
29 July 2007
12:05 UTC
Fires ravage KZN
29 July 2007
As many as 19 people are feared dead as fires, fanned by gale-force winds, ravaged swathes of KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga and Swaziland, killing animals by the hundred, and incinerating homesteads and crops.
KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Agriculture and Environmental Affairs, Mtholephi Mthimkhulu, described it as a catastrophe.
While rescue workers were still combing the vast burnt-out areas, Mthimkhulu put the unconfirmed death toll in KwaZulu-Natal as high as 17. Two people were also confirmed dead in Mpumalanga.
On Saturday firefighters were still struggling to douse flames in countryside stretching from Vryheid in KwaZulu-Natal to Graskop in Mpumalanga. Throughout Friday and Saturday, exhausted firefighters tackled infernos in tinder-dry Sabie, Badplaas, Amsterdam, Piet Retief, Wakkerstroom, Paulpietersburg and Inkandla.
Fires also raged in Winterton, Melmoth and Trafalgar on the KwaZulu-Natal South Coast, and across the border in Swaziland.
According to the South African Police Service in Paulpietersburg – one of the worst-affected areas – seven people were burned to death when fire engulfed two homes. However, those examining the area fear the death toll could climb to 17.
About 80 percent of the countryside surrounding this northern KwaZulu-Natal town – a highly productive cattle-ranching area with many timber plantations – has been devastated. As reports of extensive losses filtered through, along with accounts of firefighters being treated for burns and smoke inhalation, Mthimkhulu said plans were being put in place to assist those who had lost everything.
The KwaZulu-Natal government also appealed to humanitarian groups to lend a hand.
The chairperson of the Farmers’ Association in Paulpietersburg, Arno Engelbrecht, said that although they had fires on a regular basis, this was one of the worst. “People in their 80s say they have never seen anything like it in their lifetime. It’s a bleak picture.”
‘I have never experienced anything like this’
The Paulpietersburg fires began about 4am on Friday and were still burning on Saturday. About 1 500 people were involved in trying to stem the conflagration. According to Engelbrecht, not one farmer escaped losses.
Hundreds of cattle, sheep and wild animals died, and grain and hay were destroyed, leaving the remaining cattle without fodder. Commercial plantations were razed, with not a tree left standing.
Farmers besieged the Farmers’ Association, clamouring for medical support for their labourers and pleading for the area to be declared a disaster area. One farmer, a Mr Beneke, lost his house and shed, while labourers’ houses and huts burned to the ground.
One of the biggest problems was the lack of electricity on Friday night. “If we had electricity to pump water we might have had better success in putting out the fires,” said Engelbrecht.
Farmers fought the flames using tractors towing water carts and bakkies carrying bags containing 500 to 600 litres of water.
“Everyone tried to help everyone else, but with five to six fires at the same time, they didn’t know which way to turn,” said Engelbrecht. Adding to the difficulties was the fact that Telkom lines and cellphone networks were down.
Townsfolk rushed to bring food and clothing for those who had lost all their possessions. At least two people were admitted to Vryheid Provincial Hospital, suffering from extensive burns: a 79-year-old whose hut burned down, and a young Pretoria woman, Odette Visser, 17, who, with her parents had been travelling to the Natal Spa Resort outside Paulpietersburg.
According to her friend, Ansi van Staden, Visser panicked when the fire threatened to engulf the family car. Convinced the car would catch alight she grabbed her 1-year-old sister, leapt from the vehicle, and ran down the road. The two were discovered by her cousin who went looking for them. Fortunately, the fire subsided and the rest of the family, who remained in the car, did not suffer major burns.
Rouxle Venter, assistant manager at the Natal Spa Resort, said a fire started burning on a neighbouring farm about 8pm on Friday. “We tried to contact Mondi, which has professional firefighters, but they were busy with three fires themselves,” she said.
“So we all jumped in to help, but with the force of the wind we were fighting until 2am. We were ringed by fire. I have never experienced anything like this.”
A member of the Forest Fire Association in Piet Retief said gusts of wind, ranging between 45 and 90km/h, had driven the fires, which started in a multitude of separate incidents. With hundreds of fires burning it had been impossible to pinpoint how it all began.
“When you have a crown fire (in the tree tops), it can jump a kilometre at a time.” Both plantations and farmlands had gone up in smoke.
Two rail trucks, containing tons of timber, were destroyed at Paulpietersburg siding. Three sawmills in Mpumalanga were also burning, with one already razed to the ground, he said.
Elias Masina, in the operations room of Zululand Fire Protection Services at KwaMbonambi, said more than 100 firefighters had been involved in fighting fires in the Melmoth area, where about 200ha went up in smoke ahead of 80kph winds.
According to Fire Protection Officer Trevor Wilson, they managed to contain the fire on Saturday afternoon.
“We were luckier than other parts of the country where they are still fighting,” he said.
In the Winterton area a child attending a township crèche was reported to have died after being overcome by the flames. Simon Thomas, operations manager for the KwaZulu-Natal Fire Protection Association, said 22 firefighters on Thursday afternoon fought to save life and limb, using a spotter plane.
Mthimkhulu said department officials on Saturday began distributing compensation claim forms to local and district municipalities to give to communal farmers. The farmers association would be doing the same for commercial farmers.
The department had also mobilised its State Veterinary Services and personnel would go into communal areas to perform slaughtering of burned live-stock.
The acting head of the department, Siddiq Adam, said emergency moves were afoot to buy cattle fodder for affected farmers to feed remaining livestock.
Mthimkhulu, who is being kept abreast of developments by Robin Barnsley, president of the KwaZulu-Natal Agricultural Union, is in touch with the MEC for Social Welfare and Population Development, Dr Meshack Radebe, and MEC for Local Government and Traditional Affairs, Mike Mabuyakhulu, to co-ordinate help.
A joint ministerial delegation will visit fire-stricken areas to assess the extent of the damage and provide food, blankets and clothing, as well as tents as make-shift accommodation.
Fires countrywide claim 17 lives
29 July 2007
Fire fighters were on Sunday still battling blazes which killed 17 people in various parts of the country.
Working on Fire spokesperson Val Charlton said eight people were killed in running fires in Mpumalanga and Swaziland.
She said three fires were still out of control in the Lowveld and Highveld areas after 8pm on Sunday.
“One of the fires has not been contained and two have been contained.”
‘We are bringing more teams from the Western Cape’
About 250 fire fighters were fighting the blazes.
“We are bringing more teams from the Western Cape to assist us put out the fires,” Charlton said.
The teams were expected to arrive in Nelspruit on Monday.
Charlton’s colleague, Evelyn John Holtzhausen said fires in KwaZulu-Natal had been put out.
KwaZulu-Natal police spokesperson Superintendent Vincent Mdunge said a total of nine people, including a six-year-old child, were killed in fires in the province.
Seven people were killed in Dumbu near Vryheid, one in Mayville and one in Winterton.
About 200 shacks were destroyed. In Winterton, 24 people were seriously injured and taken to hospital.
Mdunge said although figures were not known, the damage to property in the province was “quite huge”.
He said police were investigating cases of arson and it was believed that the fires were caused by negligence.
“There is a probability that the negligent tendency of drivers discarding cigarettes on the side of the road… was an aggravating factor given the fact that the winter grass and trees are dry,” he said.
Earlier on Sunday, Holtzhausen said two fires were out of control in Swaziland with a total of seven fatalities, including one fire fighter and six civilians.
Eight injuries had been reported in Swaziland.
“Hot dry weather is expected to continue today giving fire warning ratings of ‘high yellow to orange’ for a number of days,” he said.
“An orange alert is one below ‘red’ in which weather conditions are considered to be most conducive for runaway wild fires.”
The fire protection service said it had formed a “multi-jurisdictional” team to address numerous fires in Nelspruit where the condition was described as “very serious” on Sunday.
The team includes government departments, the South African National Defence Force and forestry companies.
Fighting the blazes from the air was proving difficult due to poor visibility, caused by smoke.
“There is no quick fix to fighting these fires,” said Working on Fire chief executive Johan Heine.
“We must now move into an extended attack mode, deploying fire fighting resources strategically where they will be most effective.”
Meanwhile, a 30-year-old man was burnt to death in his room at Bisley in Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal police said on Sunday.
Inspector Joey Jeevan said investigations revealed that Sibusiso Nxumalo had started a small fire in his room to keep warm on Saturday night.
Firefighters still battling runaway fires
29 July 2007
Firefighters were on Sunday still battling blazes in various parts of the country, Working on Fire said.
Spokesperson Evelyn John Holtzhausen said there were 11 fires in Mpumalanga, KwaZulu-Natal and Swaziland.
“Although the number of fires has decreased, since Saturday the remaining fires have increased in intensity and size,” he said.
In Swaziland, two fires were out of control with a total of seven fatalities, including one fire fighter and six civilians.
Eight injuries have been reported.
“Hot dry weather is expected to continue on Sunday giving fire warning ratings of ‘high yellow to orange’ for a number of days,” he said.
“An orange alert is one below ‘red’ in which weather conditions are considered to be most conducive for runaway wild fires.”
The fire protection service said it had formed a “multi-jurisdictional” team to address numerous fires in Nelspruit where the condition was described as “very serious” on Sunday.
The team includes government departments, the SA National Defence Force and forestry companies.
Fighting the blazes from the air was proving difficult due to poor visibility, caused by smoke.
“There is no quick fix to fighting these fires,” said Working on Fire chief executive Johan Heine.
“We must now move into an extended attack mode, deploying fire fighting resources strategically where they will be most effective.”
Source of all articles: www.int.iol.co.za
