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Western Cape Provincial Disaster Management Centre in partnership with Working on Fire – Kishugu JV have deployed Aerial Resources for fire suppression in Leeurivier farm.
A pilot at Kishugu Aviation in Stellenbosch says climate change is increasingly hindering aerial firefighting efforts, with temperatures often surpassing 40 degrees Celsius during the summer fire season.
A Command and Control pilot, Arno De Lange, says the extreme heat conditions can lead to pilot fatigue, making it more challenging to manage fire operations.
De Lange is among the youngest pilots battling intense wildfires in the Western Cape. He says the expanding wildfire-urban interface is worsening due to climate change.
He says the 2024 fire season was the busiest he’s faced, with times when strong winds prevented helicopter take-offs.
De Lange expressed concern about the shifting patterns of climate change and their impact on firefighting efforts.
As fire seasons grow longer and overlap, the demand for aerial firefighting resources increases yearly, he adds.
