“Five of then are rather big in size,” said departmental spokesperson Malcolm Procter.
The larger fires were raging near Sasolburg, along the N1 between Kroonstad and Sasolburg, between Paul Roux and Bethlehem, north of Kestell and another at Boesmanskop, north of Zastron.
Various other fires were reported near Viljoenskroon, Orkney and Potchefstroom.
Procter said an estimated 100 000 hectares of grazing had been destroyed in the Free State this season.
“Our annual average lies at 204 000 hectares and the conditions are very dry at the moment.”
Procter said a worrying factor in the current season was that nearly half of the hectares lost, some 40 000, were due to people burning fields in the hope of creating early grazing.
This happened mainly in the Qwaqwa area and the regions along the Lesotho border.
– SAPA
[Photos with recognition to Suze Steyl Photography]
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