Fire danger stays red as dry weather continues. Authorities stress no open flames and the importance of fire prevention.
The red fire danger index (FDI) remains a concern due to dry, hot and windy conditions until the fall of the first spring rain this month, according to the Apies River Fire Association (Arfa).
Tshwane residents have been warned about the FDI after the SA Weather Service issued multiple warnings of extremely dangerous veld fire conditions leading up to this month.
Vox meteorologist Michelle du Plessis said Gauteng was out of the red for now, though extremely high fire danger conditions were expected in places over the central and northern parts of the country.
Gauteng and nearby provinces face extreme fire risks until the first rains
“Yellow level 2 warning for severe thunderstorms accompanied by strong winds, excessive lightning and hail, which may lead to localised damage or loss of infrastructure, settlements, vehicles and major travel disruptions are expected in the eastern and southeastern parts of the Free State, north-western parts of KwaZulu-Natal and the eastern parts of the Eastern Cape,” she said.
Gauteng residents will also have to wait a little longer for the first spring rain, as no rain is forecast for the rest of the week.
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Arfa chair Tarien Cooks said they were still in a dry season, which meant the fire danger was going to be high until the first good rain.
“People should not just light things on fire. It makes it very difficult for us,” she said.
“The FDI was in the red on Saturday and Sunday and in orange on Monday. We extinguished two fires over the weekend, one at Kromdraai and the other at Onderstepoort,” Cooks said.
Volunteer firefighters from Poland
Cooks thanked the volunteer firefighters from Poland who were part of the International Claws team of experienced volunteers from Switzerland, Germany and the US who helped last weekend.
“The Sinoville Fire Fighting Association hosted the Claws volunteers at their Montana satellite base station from 30 August to 7 September.
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“This is now the second year they have been here for three weeks to help us with wildfires in the surrounding area. They also contributed three vehicles and about 17 volunteers towards firefighting efforts.
