Fire alert for KZN residents as Winter season sets in
The winter fire season is upon us, and the KwaZulu-Natal Fire Protection Association is urging members of the public not to light fires in open areas in windy conditions.
The Association's Simon Thomas has also appealed to farmers burning fire breaks to do so in ideal conditions.
He says with the veld getting drier and drier, a small fire left unattended on a windy day could potentially become a runaway wild fire.
In previous years, massive runaway blazes have destroyed thousands of hectares of land, killed people and livestock and razed homesteads.
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Thomas has this message for residents.
"90% of the fires that we have in South Africa as a whole are man-made fires and those are the ones that we need to be careful of. The message is please do not start a fire that you can not control or that you can not stop. Heed warnings for the public on the South African Weather Services and if you see a fire please report it immediately to your local authorities," he said.
Listen to more advice for landowners and farmers from Thomas in our full interview below.