WC officials urge public to be extra cautious with activities that could start fires

With hot and windy conditions set to continue in the Western Cape, officials are urging the public to be extra cautious with activities that could start damaging fires.

Firefighters battled several wildfires in the province recently, including fires in the Overberg region and Kommetjie and three fires in the Cape Winelands on Tuesday.

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Western Cape Disaster Management Centre head Colin Deiner said that the majority of the fires have been caused by the public, with few attributed to lightning.

Diener said provincial firefighting services have been extremely busy, with several wildfires since the start offire season in November.

"Since the start of the summer wildfire season, Western Cape aerial resources - which are based in George, Bredasdorp, Stellenbosch and Porterville - have responded to 23 wildfires at a cost of R2.4 million."

Deiner has urged the public to be cautious.

"We are expecting the hot and windy conditions to continue into the Christmas and New Year weekends, and we urge the public to be extremely careful because even a small fire in these conditions could lead to a major disaster with loss of life and property."

Diener said that many of the fires were caused by negligence or intent and while no serious injuries or fatalities were reported, several properties have already been damaged by wildfires.