Heatwave fires Cape Town

2009-03-05 17:49

Cape Town - Fires continued to burn on the mountains around Cape Town on Thursday as temperatures across the Western Cape soared to above 40°C.

Western Cape Agricultural Union chief executive Carl Opperman said the hot weather was making the situation worse for farmers who had been battling fires for the past weeks.

He said it was too early to give an accurate estimate, but he guessed that between R25m and R50m in damage in the Western Cape so far.

"The hot weather is making everything worse, especially because we are busy with the harvest season," he said.

"Quite a few farms have been damaged in the Boland area. Most of the damage has been to forestry. Some vineyards have also been lost due to scorching from the heat."

Two of the worst affected farms were Vergelegen and Lourensford.

What has made matters worse for the farmers is that many power lines have been destroyed by the fire. Cold storage and packing sheds were also in trouble.

"We will only see the knock on effect coming through much later," Opperman said.

In dire need of a rainstorm

Opperman said some of the worst affected areas were on the west coast of the Western Cape.

"Three of four farms completely burnt down in Citrusdal, Piketberg, Moutons Hoek. The heatwave up in that area is terrible.

"The important thing now is to bring these fires under control. But it is difficult to get into these areas. We need a rainstorm."

A Sapa reporter in Paarl reported seeing columns of smoke rising over Paarl Rock. A crown of flames was seen in the hills between Franschoek and Paarl, which recorded temperatures above 40°C on Thursday.

A spokesperson from the SA Weather Service said temperatures would remain in the upper thirties and lower forties until Saturday afternoon.

She said the hot weather was being caused by hot offshore north easterly winds.

"When this happens the Western Cape usually experiences hot weather," she said. "We expect the heatwave to continue until Saturday afternoon. From then on the severity of the temperature will drop slightly."

She said no rain was expected by the weekend and that the risk of fires spreading was high due to the dryness of the terrain in the Western Cape.

"It is becoming drier, so if a wind comes up there is a strong risk of a fire."

The heatwave has worried organisers of and entrants to Argus cycle race to be held on Sunday. Some 35 000 people are expected to take part in the race.

An organiser for the race said preparations had been made to deal with any problems arising from the heat.

The organisers had received forecasts that the maximum temperature on Sunday would be 29°C.

- SAPA