Wildfires were common in South Africa while I was there. September is the end of the dry season, usually lasting half the year. Fires purged highway medians as well as isolated grasslands. The fire clears away the old dead growth in preparation for the new growth that will spring up with the first rains. The day I visited Pilansberg, a major fire was working its way through the park. As long as the fire moves quickly, it doesn't bother the trees. As we were leaving the park some trees had caught fire and made a spectacular blaze (second photo); we passed a fire truck heading toward the park after we had left.