Cape Town - Students, staff and livestock were evacuated after a wildfire spread from the Jonkershoek Nature Reserve towards Stellenbosch University and nearby farms on Wednesday.
The blaze, which has burnt through over 3 000 hectares of vegetation over the past two days, was fanned by a strong south-easterly wind which caused it to flare up in the early hours and head straight towards farms on the fringe of the winelands.
Four firefighters were injured battling the blaze on Tuesday night, sustaining soft tissue damage, said paramedics. As a precautionary measure on Wednesday, with plumes of smoke billowing across that part of the campus, Stellenbosch University evacuated buildings at the Coetzenburg sports complex.
Spokesman Martin Viljoen said it was a precautionary measure as the flames were still a good distance away when the university’s management made the call.
Over 130 staff and students were evacuated from the Department of Sports Sciences and Welgevallen experimental farms. In addition, dairy cows and sheep were moved to a safer location while a herd of horses from the local equestrian society was also moved.
On campus, onlookers watched tentatively, straining to differentiate between out-of-control flare-ups and intentional back-burning. From a distance, it was difficult to gauge the severity of the fires. Flashes of orange could be seen from kilometres away.
Even Stellenbosch’s mayor needed to get up close to get a good look for himself.
“I thought I’d just come up here to the mountain top,” mayor Conrad Sidego said, standing in full suit and tie on a somewhat precarious dirt road. “From a distance it looks worse.”
CapeNature spokesman Justin Lawrence said the back-burn conducted along the perimeter had been successful in slowing down the spreading flames, but he didn’t foresee the efforts ending on Thursday.
“Over 350 firefighters, including aerial support and ground crews from CapeNature, Cape Winelands District Municipality, Cape Pine, Working on Fire and the Volunteer Wildfire Services have been actively working to contain the blaze which is still burning high in the mountains,” said Lawrence.
Earlier in Jonkershoek, sierra-brown fog formed a sort of film over the already-bright midmorning sun. Neighbours who gathered at the base of the mountain to watch the water-bombing helicopters over their heads were cast in a dusty glow.
But in the distance, stark, high streaks of flame were shooting up the side of the mountain in an almost impressively straight line. Donny Malherbe, of Jonkersdrift Farm, said those were the flames he and his crew could only monitor, and a change in the wind could push them further over the mountain.
Throughout the afternoon, long-time Stellenbosch resident Conrad Stoltz rode his motorbike around to remote crews, distributing cold drinks and energy bars from his backpack. Stoltz, a professional triathlete, is sponsored by the energy drink, and had plenty to spare.
Lawrence said: “There is an ecological concern as the last fire that took place in the area was in 2009. Many of the fynbos species in the area need between 12 to 20 years to produce enough seed to sustain the population after the fire.”
The Jonkershoek Nature Reserve was still closed on Wednesday afternoon.
“The public is also requested to stay clear of the hiking trails and the general Coetzenberg area in Stellenbosch.”
Lawrence said the Jonkershoek and Banhoek valleys would be the priority for firefighterson Thursday as the blaze heading towards Stellenbosch had been contained.