FEATURES
Fight the fire
With fire safety remaining a burning issue in the built
environment, we delve into how legislation, applications and
innovation can safeguard assets and ultimately save lives.
By Candace Sofianos King
When it comes to fire safety, engineers signing off non-compliant roof structures can be put to task.
I
t’s been just over a year since the
catastrophic Knysna and Plettenberg
Bay fire disasters, which destroyed
hundreds of properties, claimed seven lives
and burnt through thousands of hectares.
Based on findings from the official
forensic investigation into the cause of the
devastating June 2017 fires, human activity
as well as several natural factors was
responsible for the fire outbreak. According
to research by Knysna fire chief Clinton
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AUGUST 2018
CLADDING // CONCRETE // INSULATION // STEEL // THATCH // TIMBER // TRANSLUCENT // WATERPROOFING // COMPONENTS
Manual, who conducted the investigation
on the Cape fires, the deadly blaze was
caused by man-made fires coupled with
strong berg winds, drought, topography,
and dry vegetation.
“Bushfires are a natural disaster and
parts of the world affected by global
warming, such as Africa and Australia, will
increasingly experience the horrific effects
of these catastrophes,” says Kobus
Strydom, FIRELAB owner and honorary
member of the South African Emergency
Services Institute technical committee.
In February 2009, Australia was hit by a
series of bushfire disasters – the worst
recorded in Australian history. Dubbed the
‘Black Saturday’ bushfires, the Victoria fire
tragedy resulted in the deaths of 173
people, the injury of 414 people and
destruction of more than 3 500 buildings.
The country recorded a total loss of an
estimated AUD4.4-billion.