Firefighters continue to battle a fire that rages along the Du Toitskloof mountains, with the wind worsening conditions.
The fire has been burning since Tuesday, February 25, with smoke from the fire drifting over the city centre yesterday morning.
In an update, NCC Wildfires confirmed that firefighters and ground crews have been supported by two helicopters and seven firefighting vehicles. The helicopters have been intermittently stopped from flying when the wind picks up, making conditions for fighting the fire even more difficult.
NCC reported that around 6000 hectares of mixed fynbos has burned. No evacuation order has been issued by firefighting services since the last update.
Drakenstein mountains Paarl on #fire #Firefighters due high temperatures in area. @VOCfm @etv pic.twitter.com/NzDAB56H2x
— Faadiel Essop (@FaadielEssop) February 26, 2020
The Cape Winelands District Municipality’s (CWDM) Fire Services confirmed that as the wind dropped in the afternoon and the arrival of low cloud cover and cooler weather has helped firefighters make progress in containing the fire.
“In the Du Toit’s Kloof side, in between the old and new passes, the fire has remained contained with no flare ups during the night,” said the Municipality on Facebook.
“The fire and ground teams on the Wemmershoek side of the pass have reported that fire lines were burning hot during the night and teams had their hands full, but managed to contain certain parts.”
A reconnaissance will be done this morning to identify the exact progress made and where resources should be focused. The fire services and ground teams are on scene and continue a combination of active firefighting, monitoring and mopping-up activities for at least the next 24 – 36 hours.
In addition to fighting this blaze, firefighters have also been requested for a fire which has begun in Ceres.
Picture: Facebook
