By Craig McKune
Exhausted Western Cape firefighters are hoping milder conditions on Sunday will provide some relief from a week of fires fuelled by sweltering heat and strong winds.
But by Saturday afternoon raging fires near Piketberg and in the Cederberg were still out of control and spreading fast, despite non-stop efforts by firefighters, farm workers and two air force helicopters.
Meanwhile, several fires continued burning throughout the city and in Stellenbosch where ground teams and four helicopters fought the four-day-old blazes.
The Hermanus fire is out 'but not yet safe' In Stellenbosch on Saturday one flank of the Jonkershoek fire was still out of control but was stable in already cooling weather, while fires at Ida's Valley and Tokara Farm were under control.
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The Hermanus fire, started last weekend, was out "but not yet safe", said Overberg Disaster Manager Reinhard Geldenhuys.
More than 60 small grass fires burned throughout Cape Town yesterday.
"The guys are fighting from dawn to dusk," said Working on Fire spokesman Evelyn Holtzhausen. "They are tired and hoping the fires won't continue much longer."
He said most of Working on Fire's resources, including their helicopter, had been kept occupied by the fires.
Huge blazes threatened homes and damaged farm property "We hope the better weather will have a dampening affect, stopping new fires and allowing existing fires to be brought under control."
In Moutonshoek near Piketberg early on Saturday morning huge blazes threatened homes and damaged farm property.
Shortly after midnight the fire moved through fynbos and into a river bed choked with wattle and bluegum trees. Spreading rapidly up the opposite slope, the tall flames burned within metres of farmhouses on the Wilgebosdrif farm but were held back by a small team of about 10 firefighters.
Farm manager John Everett said a firebreak they had burned earlier helped stop that blaze, but flames later jumped back into the wattle-infested river upstream.
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