Gauteng heatwave is over

Joburg residents can breathe a sigh of relief as cooler weather was due to finally set in over Gauteng.

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Johannesburg - Residents can breathe a sigh of relief as cooler weather was due to finally set in over Gauteng from Wednesday.

The heatwave that gripped the province and parts of the country for more than a week has left a trail of destruction in its wake.

On Tuesday, a fire that broke out at Binderbox, a box and packaging factory in Alberton, ravaged compacted bales of recyclable materials, including aluminium and plastic.

Firefighters from as far as Thokoza and Palm Ridge had to be called to help douse the flames, Ekurhuleni emergency management services (EMS) spokesman William Ntladi said. “We’re battling strong winds that have come with this heat(wave). It’s fanning the fire,” he said.

Ntladi said Ekurhuleni EMS had attended to many fires over the past few days, including one at a wood factory on Monday.

“We can’t confirm the cause of either of the fires but we haven’t ruled out spontaneous combustion,” he said, adding that during hot and dry conditions, oxygen, heat and flammable materials could create a “triangle of combustion” that sparked a fire.

Ntladi appealed to the public to be cautious when using open flames and not to discard lit cigarette butts because that could lead to veld fires.

“At factories and in homes, turn off appliances if you are the last to leave,” he said. “Keep all doors and windows closed when you leave your premises because fires spread more slowly if there is no oxygen to fan it.”

In Limpopo, a fireman was killed at the weekend, after days of heatwave-related veld fires.

“During their deployment, heavy winds changed direction, pushing the fire towards the Working on Fire teams,” said Linton Rensburg, Working on Fire’s national spokesman. “The firefighters tried to move out of the area. One fell and sustained burns. He died in hospital.”

The SA Weather Service said rain was expected in Gauteng from Wednesday.

“Rain is also expected on and off throughout Thursday and into the weekend. We can expect temperatures to go up to the late 20s and early 30s, but it will not be heatwave conditions,” forecaster Cobus Cronjé said.

Ilanit.chernick@inl.co.za

The Star