Intense heat sparks Paarl fires
2009-03-05 12:38
Cape Town - Fires broke out amidst intense heat on the Paarl mountains on Thursday, fire services said, and were creeping towards wine estates along Agter Paarl Road.
"It's extensive in that it goes up the slopes of the mountain and now it's creeping down the back," said Paarl Fire official Dereck Damos.
Popular wine estates such as Fairview, Seidelberg and Landskroon Wine Estates were located along this road.
But Damos said two helicopters would be water bombing the flames. "It's more than likely wine farms will be okay."
Wind in the region sparked fears of the fire spreading.
He said about 50 firefighters were stationed at various points around the mountain to battle the blaze.
Heat
Temperatures soared above 38° but Damos told News24
firefighters were being taken care off and given lots of liquids to stave off dehydration.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation but Damos said spontaneous combustion from the intense heat was a possibility.
Meanwhile fires in the Jonkershoek mountains near Stellenbosch continued to blaze. A Stellenbosch resident said that a thick cloud of smoke was lying over the town of Stellenbosch this morning.
"It has cleared up a bit now, but there is still a strong smell of smoke in the air and I can hear the sound of helicopters fetching water. It seems that it is burning everywhere around us, only a few days of good rain will stop this."
Die Burger reported that fires in Gordon's Bay earlier had been doused.