Beware of fire season

THE Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries has asked members of the public to refrain from throwing away cigarette butts to avoid the possibility of wild fires as fire season kicks into full swing. The department's Thabo Nokoyo said wild fires were triggered mainly by human activity, including throwing away of burning cigarette butts, farmers burning debris and bee hunters and picnickers making fires in undesignated areas. He said the province had experienced disastrous fires in the past. Timber plantation fires had resulted in 3000 direct job losses in the timber industry and possibly as many as 8000 indirect job losses. – Hendrick Mphande