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Veldfires causing damages that run into millions of rands left a trail of destruction in the Overstrand since Monday night.

The runaway fires in Betty Bay and Stanford were caused by flying sparks from Eskom power cables snapped by gale force north-westerly winds reaching up to 90 km per hour.

Four luxury homes in Betty's Bay were totally destroyed in the fire while another three houses were seriously damaged. A number of labourers' cottages in the Stanford area were burnt to the ground.

Law expert Johan Theron, a partner in the law firm of Jan S de Villiers in Cape Town, said it is possible that Eskom could be held liable for the substantial damages arising from the blaze. Theron referred to the terms of the Electricity Act 4 of 2006, article 26. “In any civil proceedings against a licensee arising out of damage or injury caused by induction of electrolysis or in any other manner by means of electricity generated, transmitted or distributed by a licensee, such damage or inquiry is deemed to have been caused by the neglicence of the licensee (Eskom), unless there is credible evidence to the contrary.”

The Stanford fire broke out early Tuesday morning on the Old Oak Farm and then jumped the Klein River.

Gys Driessen, owner of the farm Stofvlei, situated next to the Hermanus Yacht Club, first alerted the Overberg fire department of the fire at 04:00 on Tuesday morning. Carl Dill from the farm Blue Moon in Stanford called his neighbour Bevan Clegg to warn him that there was a glow in the distance. Clegg immediately phoned neighbour Russel Metcalf who in turn contacted one of the managers of Old Oak Farm John Reinder.

He told the Hermanus Times that they arrived at the scene of the fire at 04:00 and worked side by side with firefighters from Overstrand, Overberg, CapeNature and Work for Fire until 16:30 on Tuesday afternoon. At some stage the fire was threatening chicken farms in the area.

Jeudi Hunter, a resident of Stanford, reported that Stanford resembled a ghost town on Tuesday afternoon. She went out for dinner to Hermanus and upon her return at 22:00, repairwork on the electricity cables that snapped in the high winds and caused the fire, was still underway on the Old Oak Farm.

The wind felled trees in Soutpan and Pelican Crescent in Vermont, Cross Street in Onrus and Bird Lane in Northcliff. A tree was felled by the wind in Grysbok Crescent in Sandbaai, narrowly missing a home. Further wind damage was reported in Vermont and Mt Pleasant where the roofs of residential homes were blown off. In 8th Street in Voëlklip trees were blown onto power cables.

On Tuesday morning the fire was still sporadically flaring up and firefighters were keeping a watchful eye.

Storm damage was caused to backyard dwellings in Stanford and the electricity supply to Gansbaai and Stanford was cut in the process.

A full assessment of the damage and cause of the fire was expected to be made on Wednesday by Overstrand fire chief Riaan Jacobs.

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