Cape Town - Local firefighting teams will be ready for battle this fire season with the Department of Local Government allocating between R13.8 million and R16m of its budget toward ensuring a unified fire response is achieved across the province.
Wildfires are expected to be more prone this fire season with the effects of global warming and man-made sources of ignition increasing every year.
Cape Town weather office forecaster Samkelisiwe Thwala said temperatures were expected to be hot.
However, above-normal temperatures were expected for October into January with hot and dry conditions as well as strong winds and veld fires.
Runaway fires were also prone to occur.
In response to a DA parliamentary question, the Western Cape Department of Local Government confirmed that it was ready for the upcoming summer fire season with the appropriate budget to ensure that a unified fire response was achieved across the province.
Local Government MEC Anton Bredell said: “The thinking behind this budget is that we can leverage much more resources if all the different firefighting entities can work together.
“It is also a fact that the quicker you respond, and if you make use of expensive aerial firefighting, the results are much better. This budget allocation means we can focus on fighting a fire immediately and have access to financial resources when we need it.”
Bredell said the province responded to more than 15 000 reports of fire outbreaks each year.
DA Provincial Local Government spokesperson Derrick America said: “While fire is a natural part of many Western Cape ecosystems, the effects of global warming and man-made sources of ignition mean that the danger posed to lives, property, and the environment by runaway wildfires increases every year.”
UCT climate system analysis group PhD student Stefaan Conradie said research had shown that more large and damaging fires tended to occur in the fynbos around Cape Town during hotter and drier summers and autumns, especially following after a relatively wet year (such as 2021).
“This spring has already been very dry, which will further increase the fire risk this summer. Winds also play a crucial role in fire risk, by drying out vegetation, providing more oxygen to fires and driving rapid fire spread,” Conradie said.
kristin.engel@inl.co.za