Address by the Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment Barbara Creecy’s during her visit to the scene of the Kleinmond Highlands Fire
Good afternoon Ladies and Gentlemen
Less than a week ago a fire ravaged the Kleinmond area of the Overberg, destroying 5 417 hectares of vegetation, which was extinguished.
Fortunately, no lives were lost in the fire, although one structure was destroyed.
I would like today to commend the more than 300 firefighters who battled this fire over six days from 8 January 2022. We salute your bravery and we are very grateful for the lives and property you saved!
Although investigations are still underway into the cause of the blaze, indications are that it started in the Department of Forestry, Fisheries, and the Environment’s Pine Plantation here in the Kleinmond area.
The Fire Protection Association is compiling a fire report regarding the facts about the source of the fire. We have also enlisted the services of Sanparks since they have internal capabilities to assess this nature. The scope of the assessment will include the origins and causes of the fire, whether fire breaks and other preventative measures were in place and any other factors that may have exacerbated the fire.
Once the assessment has been received and processed by the Department, the findings and recommendations will be made public.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The Department’s Working on Fire team played an integral role in bringing this fire under control. Air and ground resources were deployed.
This included 169 firefighters and management, pilots and helicopter support staff, four fire trucks, two forestry support strike vehicles, two-strike units, three transport buses, four bakkies, and three aerial support vehicles to assist fire authorities in the Overberg (Kleinmond) with continuous fire suppression efforts.
WoF also dispatched four spotter planes and three Huey and one Black Hawk Helicopters, as well as a Fixed Wing Bomber to provide additional aerial firefighting capacity.
The aerial resources in last week’s fire flew some 83 hours, and made 590 water drops, the equivalent of 1 014 million litres of water, to help douse these fires.
Our Working on Fire teams worked together with teams from the Overberg District Municipality, Overstrand Municipality, Provincial Disaster Management, Cape Nature, and the Department of Forestry, Fisheries, and the Environment.
Since the Summer Fire season officially began in the Western Cape on the first of December 2021, Working on Fire has assisted in fighting and suppressing 25 fires across the province with a total of 26 firefighting teams deployed to date. Eleven of those teams were deployed here at the Kleinmond fire in the last week.
Working on Fire’s fleet of 21 firefighting aircraft is currently dispatched in the Western Cape for aerial firefighting. These aerial resources will continue to operate in the Western Cape for the duration of the Fire season which concludes at the end of April.
To date, a total of 5 644 hectares have been burnt since the start of the 2021/22 summer fire season with no reported loss of life and minimal structural damages reported.
The 2021/22 summer fire season is anticipated to be busy in part. This can be attributed to the impact of climate change and extreme weather conditions presently being experienced in various parts of the province. An excellent example that most of you can relate to is the extremely high temperatures experienced in the province in the last two weeks.
Because of a decrease in humidity and drier conditions, it is important that all the necessary resources are in place to combat wildfires. Aerial firefighting is an integral part of that critical resource and plays a crucial role in integrated fire management.
The planes and helicopters supply water mixed with fire suppressants to strategic spots on the fireline, reducing heat and enabling ground teams to move in closer to the fire and snuff out the flames.
South Africa is no different from any other country in that we have seen an increase in large disastrous fires in recent years. Climate change plays a role in the frequency and intensity of wildfires
Consequently, the need for, and relevance of, effective firefighting resources to manage Wildland Fires, is therefore now more important than before. Two other factors are important to reduce the risk of fire and ensure effective combatting once a fire breaks out:
Firstly, the presence of vegetation such as pine trees and black wattle pose significant risks as they are extremely flammable and greatly exacerbate the intensity of wildfires. Once again we urge private landowners to be cognizant of these risks and be responsible for the clearing of such highly flammable alien vegetation.
Secondly, as a department we are in the process of amending necessary legislation, such as the National Veld and Forest Fire Amendment Bill, to make it a requirement for municipalities, private landowners, and other stakeholders in wildfire risk areas to be members of local Fire Protection Associations. Such associations are essential in fighting wildfires and coordinating resources and the immediate response to such risks.
This fire in the Overberg will not be the last this season. But, it can serve as a catalyst for more care to be taken to ensure that alien and invasive species, which often fuel wildfires, are removed from pristine areas and all open pieces of land.
Once again sincere thanks to all the brave men and women who placed their lives on the line to save the Overstrand community and the Arabella Estate.
I thank you.
For media queries contact:
Albi Modise
Cell: 083 490 2871
