‘We’ll have another fire, it’s just a matter of when’

WHILE the forensic investigation into the cause of the massive blazes that ravaged the SouthPeninsula last month is ongoing, the City of Cape Town’s biodiversity management directorate said the fires were “fantastic” for fynbos on the mountain.

But Julia Wood, manager of biodiversity, has cautioned that “inappropriate” planning decisions that have failed to create safety barriers between residential developments, as well as a reluctance in some areas to clear dense alien vegetation, would increase the risk of fire damage.

“We will have another fire, it’s just a matter of when,” said Wood during yesterday’s energy, environmental and spatial planning portfolio committee meeting.

Wood said the response to the recent fires was informed largely by the experience and lessons learned from the fires of 2000, as well as the Ukuvuka Operation Firestop campaign. Fire awareness, training and safety had increased in the past 15 years, and the efforts of the various entities involved in dealing with the fires was better coordinated.

But there were still areas where private landowners had failed to clear up alien vegetation in areas that could pose a fire risk. Wood said these landowners were being issued notices.

The recent fires also highlighted the problems of vehicular access to the south during an emergency, which has now been made more difficult by roadworks on the Main Road. Wood said Disaster Risk Management and Transport for Cape Town would investigate this possible hindrance to future mopup operations.

Wood said it was likely that the main fires were caused by arson. More than 5 000 hectares were burnt in the Muizenberg fire which raged for five days. “We’ve got a lot of problems especially in the school holidays where kids light a fire and then there are fire trucks and helicopters.”

Wood said three residential houses were destroyed, while six properties had minor damage.

The Cape Point fire, which is not being investigated, was probably caused by lightning.

Wood said while 220 baboons in the four troops were affected by the fires, only 12 from the main troop died.

She said most of the animals died instantly, while four were euthanised because of their injuries.

Many of the other smaller animals escaped with minor injuries, such as the two porcupines that were treated for burnt feet. “There really isn’t a mass animal death,” said Wood.

Going forward, there needed to be more ecological or controlled burns. Last month’s fires spread rapidly partly because the vegetation was so ready to burn. It’s advised to have patches of vegetation that have been burnt at different stages so that a breakaway fire does not burn with the same intensity as it spreads.

The South Peninsula fire was one of almost 7 600 vegetation fires that flared up between November last year and March 12. JP Smith, mayoral committee member for Safety and Security said this was a marked increase on the previous year’s 5 153 vegetation fires.

But, he said: “While the Fire and Rescue Service cannot stop people from starting or causing fires, we can put them out as quickly as possible.”