CAPE TOWN - Firefighters continue to fight the raging blaze on the mountains near Kleinmond in the Overberg since Saturday, with more than 2 400 hectares of vegetation already burned.
The fire broke out on Saturday evening, and a joint operation saw Working on Fire, CapeNature and the Department of Forestry, Fisheries, and the Environment pool their resources to try and quell the flames.
Soaring temperatures on Sunday, coupled with windy conditions fuelled the fire that has engulfed Kleinmond Golf Club.
Despite the golf club being directly adjacent to resident’s homes, no evacuation orders have been issued by authorities. However a voluntary evacuation did take place, with community halls readied for those fleeing the flames.
The firefighting crews have been lauded for their work as there was no damage to homes reported by late on Monday night.
Overstrand mayor Annelie Rabie revealed she was overwhelmed by the support received during this crisis.
“Our local teams were tired so the outside assistance helped. We are humbled by the outpouring support for food, eye drops and other things that our teams needed.”
Overberg District Municipality Incident commander, Reinard Geldenhuys explained that “during the night resources from the City of Cape Town joined the fight. The aerial resources are already deployed to assist with our suppression efforts. Additional specialist ground crews and support from Overberg District are still on the lines with our Overstrand teams.”
Ndamane’s images capture the moment helicopters drenched the flames during the suppression efforts with water bombs.
The fire fighting crews continued to work throughout Thursday night. The public is urged to avoid the area.
IOL