Cape Town - The R44 Clarence Drive between Rooi Els and Gordon’s Bay has been re-opened both ways following an evaluation of the mountain fire in the Overberg area.
Firefighters have been battling to contain a massive blaze that’s been carrying on for several days, but finally appeared to have gotten it under containment.
"The mountain fire along the R44 Koggelbaai and Steenbras dam area has been mostly contained, with a few hotspots still remaining," said City’s fire and rescue spokesperson, Theo Layne.
"Firefighting crews remained there throughout the night to monitor the burnt area. Currently, we only have about 8 firefighters on scene."
Layne said that they would be monitoring possible hotspots for the remainder of the day.
On Sunday, the City said that the Kogel Bay resort was being evacuated to ensure the safety of campers there.
It said the entire picnic area had been burnt and the infrastructure at the park destroyed. According to the Greater Overberg Fire Protection Association, the fire was 80% contained; 8270ha were affected. At this point, it remains unknown how many hectares of land have been affected by the fire.
The 2018/19 Summer Fire Season officially started in December last year and normally continues until the end of April. WoF in the province has more than 700 firefighters stationed at 27 bases.
“Five hundred more firefighters stationed across the country have been placed on national standby to provide relief and assistance where needed,” said WoF spokesperson Lauren Howard.
@TheCapeArgus