Cape fire rages out of control
2009-02-05 12:26
Cape Town - A fire in the southern Cape's Brandwag area raged out of control on Thursday morning, but firefighters were hopeful that the other blazes that were raging in the region have been contained.
"There is a another fire in Brandwag that is out of control," said the Eden district municipality deputy fire chief Deon van Wyk as he boarded a helicopter bound for the stricken area near Mossel Bay.
Stellenbosch fire chief Leon Morta was hopeful that fires in his jurisdiction had been brought under control.
"We are not out of the woods yet, but if the prevailing conditions continue, it should be okay," he said.
Firefighting crews had been dispatched in helicopters and on the ground to douse fires in the region since Tuesday.
Evacuations in Stellenbosch
The Stellenbosch fire flared up again on Wednesday when strong winds fanned the flames towards the town's university campus, leading to a number of evacuations of people and animals.
Nobody was injured but the smoke led to the cancellation of an international hockey match at the university and a sports centre roof caught fire when embers landed on it.
A Working on Fire spokesperson said fire crews were also working in the Jonkershoek and Walker Bay regions and hoped that the fire in Mitchell's Pass had been contained.
According to Working on Fire, 737 fires burned more than 236 000 hectares of veld and forest last year.
- SAPA