A fire on a 80km front was still raging in some Western Cape areas on Thursday morning — although a blaze that caused havoc in Die Kelders, Gansbaai, had been put out.
Overberg fire chief Reinard Geldenhuys said no houses or property were in danger by 7.15am.
”Some fires have been put out, but we still have a fire line of about 80km to battle.”
Police in Gansbaai, where people were evacuated and houses threatened in Die Kelders on Wednesday afternoon, said the flames around the town were extinguished during the night.
The road between Hermanus and Gansbaai had been reopened.
Geldenhuys confirmed that some fires had been put out.
”But around Elim, Napier and Stanford we are still battling.”
Skeleton fire teams had been monitoring the situation during the night.
”The wind has calmed down, and we are using this opportunity to get a clearer picture of what is going for what on the ground,” Geldenhuys said.
”New teams, from as far as Stutterheim in the Eastern Cape, were deployed in the morning. We also have three South African Air Force helicopters assisting us,” Geldenhuys said.
Working on Fire spokesperson Val Charlton said much depends on the wind and temperatures.
”That will determine how soon we manage to bring this to an end.”
On Wednesday, a lodge and four chalets burned down on the 1 700ha Grootbos private nature reserve outside Gansbaai.
Grootbos owner Michael Lutzeyer said shortly after 5pm that he had managed to reach one of two lodges on the property, and it was undamaged.
Grootbos and a section of Die Kelders, a residential area on the coast just north of Gansbaai, were evacuated earlier in the day as the flames approached.
The fire, which started near Elim, burned on a 40km front on Wednesday afternoon. It was driven by gale-force winds. — Sapa