GARDEN ROUTE | KAROO NEWS - The 2020/2021 veld and forest Summer Fire season in the Western Cape has come to an end. However, the month of June marks the beginning of a Winter Fire Season where most fires occur in residential areas.
This is mostly because of the cold weather conditions and in a bid to keep warm, many become victims of unwanted fires.
The recent constant load shedding also poses a threat of unwanted fires as communities make use of alternative heating and lighting in the absence of electricity.
The Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment’s Working on Fire Programme in the Western Cape, is beefing up awareness activities to teach communities how to protect their properties from fires.
Working on Fire (WOF) encourages communities to ensure there is at least a metre between appliances and anything that could be flammable. Candles must be placed inside a jar full of sand so that in the event of the candle falling, the sand would extinguish the flame.
Rayganah Rhoda
"The majority of fires are due to human negligence when using heating equipment and also incorrect use of candles. People must also ensure that they have the contact details of their local fire authorities at hand should there be an emergency," says Rayganah Rhoda, WOF’s Community Fire Awareness Officer.
WOF firefighters continues to visit schools and communities in fire-prone areas spreading messages of fire safety and demonstrating to communities how to prevent unwanted fires.
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