Fires rage in E Cape
2008-08-13 19:02
Johannesburg - Wildfires were still raging across the Eastern Cape on Wednesday, firefighting organisation Working on Fire said.
Spokesperson Anthony Kasinga said the fires started on Tuesday in the Addo Elephant National Park and spread to Makana near Grahamstown.
"Wildfire-fighters are nearing exhaustion as the fires rage on. Firefighters from Stutterheim, have been working since Tuesday first to bring the Addo fire under control and now the one in Makana.
"A team from Kareedouw is currently en route to the area to relieve the Stutterheim team," he said.
According to Working on Fire the weather conditions are windy and dry and fanning the blaze, raising the risk of new fires.
Kasinga said wind in the area was blowing north westerly at speeds of up to 40km an hour.
The SA National Defence Force was assisting with the firefighting operations and had deployed a helicopter fitted with a Bambi bucket to drop water on the Makana fire.
Kasinga said the N2 near Grahamstown was closed to traffic on Wednesday morning but had since been re-opened.
"Thousands of hectares of bush and shrubs were razed in Addo but the fire is under control.
"The Makana fire is still burning and the causes of the fire[s] are under investigation," he said.
- SAPA