Cape Town - On Wednesday morning, the Greater Overberg Fire Protection Association (FPA) confirmed that the firefighting teams attended to smouldering logs in Betty’s Bay on Tuesday night, while in Hermanus firefighters are attending to two flare-ups in the area.
"The landowners in the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley also had a battle on hands late last night and again early this [Tuesday] morning. All ends well and no structures losses," Greater Overberg FPA said.
"With the Hermanus Fire, firefighters are attending to 2 flare-ups in the Hemel-en-Aarde valley. Some smoke in the area. All roads are open but people should stay off the R320 as much as possible to leave it clear for emergency vehicles."
The fires in the Overberg and Overstrand area has mostly been put out but they have been working on mopping-up operations, while ground teams are dealing with flare-ups as and when they occur.
"The Overstrand fires which began almost 3 weeks ago have already destroyed over 14 000 hectares of land. In Betty’s Bay ± 12 000 ha has burned, ± 1 300 ha in Hermanus and almost 1 000 ha in Franskraal. It is important to note that the area has not yet been declared safe," the Overstrand municipality reported.
"At one stage, 52 vehicles were counted with 226 firefighters and 8 choppers doing active firefighting with assistance of 8 helitec teams. The number continuously altered, depending on the conditions and where it was needed most."
In Betty's Bay, 41 houses were destroyed completely, with 28 partial damaged reported. In Hermanus two houses and 1 shed burned down and in Gansbaai (Franskraal) four houses completely destroyed and 2 with partial damages.
The final assessment will only be conducted once the scene has been declared safe, the municipality said.
DONATIONS
All donations towards the firefighting efforts can be delivered to the Hermanus Fire & Rescue & Disaster Management offices in 14 Mussel Road, Hermanus Industrial Area. They are open 24 hours per day.
Donations for Betty's Bay fire victims can be dropped off at the Crassula Community Hall on Crassula Road in Betty's Bay. Donations toward Franskraal fire can be dropped off at Gansbaai Tourism Office, located at Great White Junction (SPAR Centre), Main Road, Gansbaai.
For those looking to donate money, financial donations can be made to Overstrand Municipality bank account:
ACCOUNT HOLDER: Overstrand Municipality
ACCOUNT TYPE: Current Account
BANK: ABSA Bank
BRANCH: Hermanus
BRANCH CODE: 334-812
ACCOUNT NUMBER: 3220 000 035
Donors must use the reference: EMF (EMF stands for Executive Mayor Fund) followed by GGB = GANSBAAI, KBB = BETTY'S BAY, HMS = HEMEL-EN-AARDE/CAMPHILL
Example: EMF/GGB - Support or Reward
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