A wildfire burning on the Swartberg Mountain near Oudtshoorn remains uncontained, with active fire behaviour continuing on both the southern and northern slopes.

Oudtshoorn Courant reports that on the southern side of the mountain, fire activity persists in steep and difficult terrain, where strong south-westerly winds have limited suppression efforts. Active firelines in this area are estimated to be between 3km and 4km.

On the north-western flank, the fire spread rapidly downslope, threatening farming infrastructure. Fire crews were deployed and managed to stop the spread in this area, with mopping-up operations currently underway. However, the fire remains active on the northern slopes above a game farm.

The eastern flank saw the fire race through a flat valley into Meiringspoort, driven by strong south-westerly winds of about 35km/h. This resulted in temporary traffic delays. While parts of the fire threatening to cross the Poort have since been contained, a fireline is still persisting on the upper rocky slopes. Crews are dealing with accessible fire spread in the area.

Firefighting efforts involve teams from the Garden Route District Municipality (GRDM), Oudtshoorn Municipality Fire and Rescue Services, CapeNature, Working on Fire, the Central Karoo District Municipality, and the South African National Defence Force, who are battling the blaze on a game farm and in the Meiringspoort area.

Members of the public are urged to report any veld or wildfire immediately to the GRDM Emergency Call Centre on 044 805 5071 or via WhatsApp on 081 709 5193.

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