The Western Cape is preparing for a wildfire season that is starting earlier, lasting longer and could put even more pressure on communities, farmers and firefighting teams, Cape {town} Etc reports.
Picture: Marcelo Aut / Pexels
Authorities have effectively doubled the province’s traditional fire-season planning period, moving from the usual four months to October through May. This warning comes as the province prepares for the effects of the El Niño Southern Oscillation, with officials expecting hotter conditions, changing rainfall patterns and increased pressure on water supplies.
Reportedly, about R12 million has been allocated towards wildfire response in the Western Cape this summer. Premier Alan Winde described the situation as a warning that residents cannot afford to ignore.
‘This is a call to action.’ – Premier Alan Winde
For years, the most intense wildfire period was generally associated with the height of summer, particularly from December into March. That pattern is changing, however, with the effects of the El Niño.
Local Government, Environmental Affairs and Development Planning MEC Anton Bredell said the province is now planning around an eight-month fire season because of changing conditions and scientific projections linked to climate change. The first major warning has already arrived.
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Fire crews in the Cape Winelands responded to a large wildland fire in the Kogmanskloof area outside Montagu this week. Cape Winelands Mayor Elna von Schlicht described the timing as unusually early, saying fires would normally begin appearing later in the year.
For firefighting services, an earlier start means resources have to remain stretched for longer. It also increases the amount of time that farmland, natural areas and communities are exposed to fire danger.
The province is also carrying the lessons of a devastating previous fire season. According to Bredell, 215 000 hectares of land were lost during December 2025, making it the worst season since 1997. This experience has become part of the reason authorities are taking a more cautious approach this year.
Bredell said preparations are also being expanded beyond traditional firefighting. Discussions are under way with organisations including the NSRI and Life Saving Western Cape because extreme heat could create another problem: more people heading to beaches and dams to cool down.
Officials are urging property owners and communities to reduce the amount of combustible vegetation around homes and other buildings before conditions become dangerous. Invasive alien vegetation is a particular concern in high-risk areas.
Department spokesperson Dave Bryant said private landowners also need to do their part by clearing vegetation, reducing fuel loads and maintaining firebreaks along property boundaries. For farmers, that means getting firebreaks in place early. In built-up areas, clearing vegetation around properties can help reduce the available fuel when a fire starts.
The province’s rapid-attack firefighting system is designed to get crews to high-risk fires quickly, with officials saying the programme has achieved about a 90% success rate in containing fires within the first hour since it began in 2013. Around 24 firefighting aircraft are also available across the province for aerial water-bombing operations.
The wildfire warning is closely linked to another major concern: water. Western Cape dam levels are currently above 80%, but officials say they are around five percentage points lower than at the same time last year. This matters if a hot, dry summer is followed by another dry winter.
Environmental sustainability chief director Karen Shippey said the province is already experiencing more hot days, fewer cold days and increasingly complicated rainfall patterns. She also pointed to unusually strong winds in 2025, when some gusts were recorded at five times the average speed.
The concern is that heat, wind, dry vegetation and water stress can combine to create a much more difficult fire environment.
El Niño is driven by changes in ocean temperatures in the mid-Pacific, which can influence global weather patterns. For the Western Cape, officials are warning of warmer-than-normal temperatures and below-average rainfall in some inland areas.
Shippey said the current ENSO cycle is expected to be particularly strong, adding that the province could face prolonged dryness if the pattern persists for six to nine months. That could affect everything from firefighting operations and water management to agriculture, where crops such as fruit are particularly vulnerable to changing weather conditions.
The Western Cape is being asked to prepare for a summer in which heat, water scarcity, wind and wildfire risk may all become part of the same problem. For residents, it is important to clear unnecessary vegetation, maintain firebreaks where required, use water carefully and pay attention to local fire warnings before conditions deteriorate.
Article shared by Cape Etc.
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