FORESTRY personnel, firefighters and members of the Zululand Fire Protection Association ( ZFPA) put their bodies on the line to get fires under control in the Sappi Forests and SQF plantations in the Sokhulu and Mbonambi areas north of Richards Bay.
The fires raged for several days, starting last week.
Between 100 and 160 personnel worked tirelessly with very little rest to combat and control the fires, which damaged more than 1 000ha of land.
The fires started when ground or peat fires flared up in the very dry conditions.
These fires were then exacerbated by the extremely strong windy conditions, which gusted at up to 95km/h last Monday.
Three such fires started up on the day and firefighters fought throughout the day and night until late on Tuesday morning to bring them under control.
More fires flared up on Thursday and firefighters battled throughout the weekend.
Peat fires
Peat fires are underground fires often started by practices such as honey hunting, where honey hunters make fires in tree stumps to smoke out bees.
These fires can remain dormant for months and flare up in conditions such as being experienced in the northern Zululand area in recent months.
Sappi thanked the ZFPA members and its own personnel for their commitment in combatting the fires.
Rain is the only answer to the ongoing fire problem and all landowners are urged to remain vigilant during the current adverse weather conditions.
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