Firefighters battle new blazes
2006-02-02 10:19
Cape Town - Firefighters were on Thursday battling yet another Western Cape fire, this one burning out of control in farmland and veld south east of Wolseley.
Winelands district council mayor Clarence Johnson said the fire started on Wednesday afternoon and had already burned about 500ha of orchards, vineyards, alien vegetation, forestry area and fynbos.
A farm stall and a store for poison had been razed, a farmhouse was partly burnt before being saved by firefighters, and there had been a pall of smoke over Wolseley.
He said the farm New Munster in particular had suffered a lot of damage.
Johnson said it was suspected the fire was started through negligence on the farm Die Vierde Liefde, where contractors were building chalets.
"My appeal is that we must ensure that we alert and request citizens not to make open fires," he said.
"Today it's a real red warm day in our area, 39°, with no indication of rain."
Fireline of 80km
He said firefighters were trying to contain the outer perimeter of the blaze, and waterbombing helicopters, which were used to fight the fire on Wednesday, had again been activated.
Meanwhile, Overberg fire chief Reinard Geldenhuys said early on Thursday morning that no houses or property were in danger at that stage from the fire that has been raging in the Elim-Gansbaai area since Monday.
"Some fires have been put out, but we still have a fireline of about 80km to battle," he said.
Police in Gansbaai, where people were evacuated and houses threatened in Die Kelders on Wednesday afternoon, said the flames around the town was extinguished during the night.
The road between Hermanus and Gansbaai had been reopened.
Geldenhuys confirmed that some fires had been put out.
"But around Elim, Napier and Stanford we are still battling."
Wind calmer
Skeleton fire teams had been monitoring the situation during the night.
"The wind has calmed down, and we are using this opportunity to get a clearer picture of what is going for what on the ground," Geldenhuys said.
"New teams, from as far Stutterheim in the Eastern Cape, were deployed in the morning. We also have three SA Air Force helicopters assisting us," Geldenhuys said.
Work On Fire spokesperson Val Charlton said much depended on the wind and temperatures. "That will determine how soon we manage to bring this to an end."
On Wednesday, a lodge and four chalets burnt down on the 1700ha Grootbos private nature reserve outside Gansbaai.
Grootbos and a section of Die Kelders, a residential area on the coast just north of Gansbaai, were evacuated earlier in the day as the flames approached.
- SAPA