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It has been almost two weeks since a raging fire began in Kareedouw, and various teams and stakeholders have joined forces to begin mopping up the area to ensure the fire is tamed, while assessment of the extent of the damage is yet to be conducted.
Kou-Kamma Local Municipality communication officer, Nomava Siqoko, said that the fire initially began as a fire flare on February 11 at Gina Kloof Mountain in Kareedouw. Since the weather was hot, and later very windy, the area was placed on red, extremely high, within the Fire Danger Index.
According to Siqoko, since the fire began, they have had various stakeholders assist Kou-Kamma in fighting the fires. This includes Kouga Municipality, Sarah Baartman District Municipality, Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Provincial Disaster Management, MTO Forestry, South African National Parks, Sarah Baartman West Fire Protection Agency, and farmers within the nature reserve.
In addition, they have received assistance from Working on Fire (WOF), Longmore, St Francis, various farmers, local businesses, volunteers from the communities, and AfriForum.
Siqoko further said that businesses had generously donated water, perishable food, eye gene, and lip balm for the firefighters.
She said that since the fires began almost two weeks ago, the teams have continued to mop up every area that has been affected by the smoke to ensure that the fires are out.
“It is difficult to say what the damage has been, as the team is still working on the ground and assessment still needs to be done,” said Siqoko.
Fortunately, no deaths have been reported but there has been damage to the municipal water infrastructure and damage to a sawmill shelter filled with old wood, as well as a tractor near the sawmill.
“We will continue to monitor the area and are requesting that the communities do not make fires at this time,” said Siqoko.
On February 15, AfriForum collected, among other items, 100 isotonic soft drinks, 400 bottles of water, biscuits, cookies, chocolate, eye drops, lip balm, and other soft drinks, which they donated to the Sarah Baartman West Fire Protection Association.
Wikus van der Walt, AfriForum’s District Co-ordinator for the Eastern Cape, said that it was truly incredible to see how quickly their branch and neighbourhood watch members jumped in to make contributions to help the firefighters.
“It shows the power of community and creates hope to know that we don’t just accept our lot when difficult times come, but that we can do something to help,” said Van Der Walt.
Tarien Cooks, AfriForum’s Disaster Management Specialist, said wildfires are very unpredictable and dangerous, and putting out these fires is also a challenge.
“Firefighters can easily dehydrate, and their blood sugar drops faster due to the protective clothing and high temperatures. These firefighters also tend to forget to look after themselves, such as to eat something or drink enough water, because they are so focused on putting out the fires,” said Cooks.
To ensure that people remain safe during the wildfire season, AfriForum has released a guide which offers tips.
- Sign up for your community’s warning system or your local fire protection association.
- Know your community’s evacuation routes and find several ways to leave the area.
- Drive the evacuation routes and find shelter locations. Have a plan for pets and livestock.
- Gather emergency supplies, including N95 respirator masks that filter out particles in the air you breathe. Be mindful of each person’s specific needs, including medication. Don’t forget the needs of pets.
- Keep important documents in a fireproof safe. Create password-protected digital copies.
- Use fire-resistant materials to build, renovate, or make repairs.
- Find an outdoor water source with a hose that can reach any area of your property.
- Create a fire-resistant zone that is free of leaves, debris, or flammable materials for at least 10 metres from your home.
- Make fire breaks on the border of your property. The fire break must be free of combustible material. Your local fire protection association and your municipality’s by-laws will indicate the size of the fire break. This is in accordance with Act 101 of 1998, the National Veld and Forest Fire Act.
- Maintain your property. Keep your property well-maintained by trimming trees and shrubs, clearing dead leaves and debris, and ensuring that your gutters are clean.
- A reserve water supply is necessary, especially during loadshedding. Water from a river can be used to extinguish a veldfire near your house, or the river can be a refill point.
- Ensure that your insurance is in place.
- Firefighting equipment and personnel – have your firefighting equipment ready, for example knapsacks, fire beaters, bakkie fire units, etc.
- Thatched roof: Keep trees and leaves trimmed, and clean on and around a thatched roof.
- Fire Danger Index. Know what the FDI is for the day, the fire behaviour, and the measures that must be in place for extinguishing veldfires.
- Personal protection equipment – Have your PPE ready in case you must assist with fighting a veldfire.
- Your safety first. Remember safety is always the top priority during a veldfire. Stay calm and take appropriate precautions.
- Every owner must make a reasonable effort to try to stop the fire moving to their neighbours.
- Report the veldfire as soon as possible to the emergency services, fire protection association, and neighbours.
- Communication – Always know what the fire is doing. This can be done through your local two-way radio system or other social media groups.
- Animals. Ensure that your animals are out of harm’s way.
- Stay in the black. When busy extinguishing the fire, always stay in the black to be safe.
- If trapped use your communication system to notify what is happening, and give your location.
- If possible, have a light handy to make it easier for people to find you.
- Use an N95 mask to keep particles out of the air you breathe.
- Stay hydrated. Drink plenty of water or isotonic cold drinks to stay hydrated, and help your body cope with the heat.
- Do mop-up. Extinguish any embers on the fire line by walking the fire line to ensure that the fire will not start burning again. Kick all animal dung back into the black area.
- Be careful of hot ash, charred trees, smouldering debris, and live embers. The ground may contain heat pockets that can burn you or spark another fire.
- Document property damage with photographs. Conduct an inventory and contact your insurance company for assistance.
- Plan for the future. Consider taking steps to prevent future veldfires, such as creating a defensible space around structures, clearing away dead vegetation, and using fire-resistant building materials.
- Remember, recovering from a veldfire can take time, so be patient and take things one step at a time.
