GEORGE NEWS - "We saw climate change happening before our very eyes with the 2017 Knysna fires," said the Garden Route District Municipality's fire chief, Deon Stoffels.
Speaking at the recent Garden Route Environmental Forum Climate Change and Environmental Management Indaba at the Nelson Mandela University's George Campus on Friday 27 June, Stoffels described how the perfect storm quietly girded for what some consider to be the worst wildfire disaster in South African history, based on the significant loss of life, property damage and displacement in urban and wildland areas.
Going about their daily tasks, Stoffels said they had noticed the area was unusually dry, and there were more leaves and twigs forming peat layers than normal, even in indigenous forests.
Caused by a lightning strike, what started out as a small fire lay smouldering for days. Because indigenous vegetation doesn't easily burn, the smouldering fire was expected to naturally die.
However, a freak combination of factors, including unusually warm, dry weather, lower than normal rainfall, depleted soil moisture, dry vegetation and an unusually strong wind of 90 to 100km/h on 7 June gave the fire a superior boost and sent it sprinting over the dry peat layer at break-neck pace.
"Once it had reached the alien invasive vegetation, it was all systems go for the fire," Stoffels said.
He said in retrospect, the fire was not that surprising because they could see the signs. However, back then, climate change was not such a hot topic, he said, but it's real and things can get very rough very quickly.
The Garden Route was reminded of the reality of climate change again on 26 December when eight out-of-season lightning strikes ignited 11 fires in the district. Stoffels explained that lightning-strike fires traditionally occurred in January and February.
Burn, rinse and repeat
Since the 2017 Knysna and subsequent 2018 Outeniqua Mountain fires, Stoffels says the alien plants have grown back tenfold.
Experts fear the next big fire will burn through the traditional fire path much quicker, giving fire teams even less chance to control it.
The Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment's control biodiversity officer, Stiaan Kotze. Photos: Jacqueline Herbst
Speaking at the same event, Wilderness and Lakes Environmental Action Forum chairperson Melissa Dalton highlighted that no mass clearing of alien vegetation has taken place sine the 2017 fires, highlighting budgetary constraints as a major stumbling block.
The Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment's control biodiversity officer, Stiaan Kotze, highlighted how the very thing that makes the Garden Route special also makes it the worst area in South Africa for alien invasive species to thrive.
He highlighted the importance of private land owners removing alien plant species on their properties for a number of reasons, one being fire prevention. This ties in with Stoffels' call for them to clear and maintain a 50m safety zone around the outskirts of their properties by removing invasive species such as black wattle and pine.
He also encouraged the public to reach out to fire departments and municipalities if they needed advice on how best to do this.
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