The event is focused on safety and financial risks associated with wildfires and the presence of invasive and fire-prone vegetation. Picture: Armand Hough / Independent Newspapers
Cape Town - After a surge in mountain fires since the end of last year, a group of concerned residents will host an information session with leading expert Dr Guy Preston on what communities and authorities can do to mitigate the associated risks.
A presentation and discussion will be led by the former deputy director general of the Environmental Affairs Department who has also worked on a number of government programmes, including Working on Fire and Working for Water.
The event will focus on safety and financial risks associated with wildfires and the presence of invasive and fireprone vegetation.
It is scheduled to take place on February 29 at 7pm in the Holy Trinity Church Hall, Main Road, Kalk Bay.
“The devastating fires in the southern peninsula this summer have once again heightened the trauma people experience when wildfires burn on urban fringes,” said Kalk Bay resident Kate Davies.
Davies is among a group of concerned residents organising the event and was one of the many pyjama-clad locals who watched a midnight flare-up from the street during a recent fire incident in Kalk Bay.
“Wildfires seem to be hotter, more frequent and more destructive than they were in the past.
“We know that fynbos vegetation requires periodic burning, but frequent, uncontrolled wildfires that are fanned by strong summer winds during the peak holiday season are hugely expensive, dangerous and destructive.
“People have been traumatised, but we have short memories and trauma soon fades, especially when the winter rains begin. This is why we need to take action now,” Davies said.
SANParks spokesperson Babalwa Dlangamandla said the total fire count for this year stood at 100.
Dlangamandla said the frequency and size of the fires experienced made this one of the worst fire seasons on record.
“There is no real comparison between last fire season and this one. This is not just a phenomenon in the Table Mountain National Park but is experienced province-wide.
“The weather conditions have been more extreme and there are simply more people in the natural environment, many of which have been displaced out of the city.”
For more information on the event, contact 083 468 1798.
shakirah.thebus@inl.co.za
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