Environment Writer
THE massive fire that swept across the peninsula last month was caused by “an accidental, negligent act”, SANParks said yesterday.
“At this stage of the investigation, it appears that the fire was not started deliberately. Investigations are continuing,” the organisation said.
The park appointed a wildfire investigator, Rob Erasmus, to establish the cause of the fire, which began on the mountain slopes above Muizenberg on March 1 and swept across to the mountains above Clovelly, Noordhoek, Lakeside, Tokai, Constantia and Hout Bay, burning more than 5 000 hectares of veld, including multimillion-rand pine plantations and 15 buildings.
SANParks said Erasmus had used several scientific procedures, including “burn indicators” to recreate the fire and identify the cause.
It said the fire report contained “sensitive and privileged information”, so would not be released to the public until legal implications had been resolved.
In a separate process, the city council appointed private forensic investigator David Klatzow to determine the cause of the fire.
Mayoral committee member for safety and security JP Smith said yesterday the city would release its findings in a week. This would include the causes of all the fires last month.
Working on Fire helicopter pilot Hendrik “Bees” Marais was killed while water-bombing a fire caused by lightning at Cape Point. The cause of his helicopter crash is being investigated.
Ecologists said fynbos has evolved with fire, and many species rely on fire for seeds to germinate. But while deliberate “prescribed” burns are necessary to manage fynbos, it is tricky to do in a park ringed by a city.