Firefighters from the Department of Forestry, Fisheries, and the Environment Working on Fire Programme, in the Eastern Cape, have been hard at work suppressing fires and implementing preventable measures throughout the province.
These young men and women have been dispatched to 13 fires since the start of the summer fire season (December 1), recently containing a fire on January 25, seven days after the fire began.
The fire broke out on January 18, in two different areas around Waterval and only two teams, namely Lottering and Blulilies, were dispatched to assist KouKamma Municipality with the fire.
Later, three additional teams were added to assist with the fire, as it intensified due to the wind and the dryness in the area.
At least 40 firefighters from six teams used their specialised firefighting skills to fight the fire throughout the day and night despite difficult weather conditions.
Fortunately, they managed to save the structures in the area from being burnt. The teams had to construct a fire line to prevent the fire from reaching other areas. The causes of the fires are still unknown and fortunately no structures were affected by the fire.
On January 24, two teams from WOF were dispatched to the fire with two WOF fire trucks, one WOF strike unit, 10 firefighters from the KouKamma Local Municipality, with their fire truck, and three Skid Unit bakkies.
The Kromsriver team, Bloukrams and Tsitsikamma will be on standby.
The objective was to protect lives, property and hold the northern flank of fire away from the R62.
The Eastern Cape has two fire seasons: the winter fire season between June and October and the summer fire season between December and April. As the summer fire season continues, WOF urged people to remain vigilant and not start any unwanted fires. They also urged smokers to make sure they correctly put out their cigarettes before throwing them away.
Parents were asked to ensure children did not play near burning stoves, candles or heaters. Also, people were requested to observe the daily Fire Danger Index warning, issued by SA Weather Service.
Working on fire, Eastern Cape has 478 trained and physically fit firefighters based at 26 bases in the province.
During firefighting operations, firefighters ensured that they follow COVID-19 precautions by not sharing water bottles, and keeping social distancing where practical, as well as always cleaning their tools before being handing them over to other teams.
