The Volunteer Wildfire Services sent a team of 17 highly qualified fire fighters to conduct a controlled burn in Noordhoek this past Monday.

Several medium-sized stacks of cleared alien vegetation and dead fynbos was burnt out. Each stack was carefully monitored with Knox scanners, hand tools, hoses and pumps, and regular weather readings were taken throughout the day to ensure a successful and safe operation.

The VWS is called upon to supervise controlled burn operations due to their competence and expertise in the wildfire sector. This particular operation resulted in the removal of a fire hazard on steep terrain – one of the primary reasons the VWS conducts controlled burns.

By Richard Merrett