Firefighters battle another wildfire in Western Cape’s Boland region

The Western Cape is battling yet another wildfire that originated near Kluitjieskraal close to Wolseley on Monday.

According to the Cape Winelands District Municipality’s Fire Services, the fire is being fuelled by a combination of mixed alien vegetation and very strong wind.

While some ground teams are focussed on the protection of the homes in the informal settlement adjacent to the veld, others are focussed on preventing the fire from spreading.

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“The wind caused numerous spot fires in dry ground, which quickly spread and moved up the mountain side,” said the municipality.

They have, however, managed to protect the homes in the informal settlement, and no damage to infrastructure was sustained.

The strong wind has also prevented the deployment of aerial resources.

“Fire fighting conditions are arduous, teams are hampered by dense smoke, high wind and uneven ground, which will be further aggravated by the darkness of night,” said the municipality on Monday evening.

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On Tuesday morning, the municipality said the fire, propelled by strong wind, swept along the mountains and veld, where crews prevented the loss of numerous structures including a thatched guest house and the well-known Tulbagh Nursery.

Currently, 14 vehicles and four ground crews are battling the fire.

“All efforts are being made to prevent the fire from jumping onto the opposite side of the Nieuwedrift Pass, as from there it can move into the Saron/Wellington area. The wind continues to blow at high speeds, which make deployment of aerial resources unlikely.

“Active firefighting will continue in the accessible areas throughout the day, which is predicted to be windy and very hot, which will make for very unpleasant conditions.”

Arson suspected

Last Thursday, the City of Cape Town’s fire and rescue department attended to a fire that had been started in Gordon’s Bay. Later in the evening, another one flared up in Slangkop before another one was reported in Simon’s Town.

According to Cape Town mayoral committee member for safety and security JP Smith, SANParks has also recorded an “unprecedented” level of fires within the park in recent times, arousing suspicions of arson.

The City has called on anyone who witnesses suspicious activities to report such.

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