Most Free State fires under control
Most Free State fires under control
13 October 2010
published by www.iol.co.za
South Africa — Most veld fires that raged in the Free State during the past week were now under control, a provincial forestry spokesperson said on Tuesday.
Although there were still smaller fires at some places such as Harrismith, they were no threat, spokesperson Malcolm Proctor said.
He said more than 400 000 hectares, the most in recent years, had been destroyed in the province this fire season.
Free State agriculture department head Limakatso Moorosi said the provincial government had made R5-million available to help repair the damage. It had however not decided how the money would be used.
She said the province had asked for some R15-million from the national government earlier, but that was before the fires.
A young Bethlehem farmer died, while two other farmers and farm workers were hospitalised for burns sustained while fighting fires in the province.
Free State Agriculture spokesperson Henk Vermeulen said regional fire protection associations and farming bodies were working together on damage estimates.
They would decide where the need would be most urgent and we would help them in asking for help, such as a fodder bank where needed.
Vermeulen said a total estimate of the season’s fire damages would not be possible in the short term.
If more than 402 000 hectares were destroyed the damages are millions of rand, he said.
