Two mountain fires, fanned by a strong south-westerly wind, burned out of control in the Boland on Monday night, the South African Broadcasting Corporation reported.
Wineland district council station commander Ian North said one of the fires was raging in Du Toit’s Kloof at Donkerhoek and the second above Dewdale on the Hottentots Holland flank.
The fire at Donkerhoek was near the farm of former president FW de Klerk, but his homestead was not in danger.
Four helicopters were being used to water-bomb the fires, while an army of firefighters was deployed on the ground.
Reinforcements were brought in from neighbouring towns as well as from the Free State and Eastern Cape.
Firefighters were earlier on Monday still busy combating mountain fires that started last week in the Cape winelands.
Conservation manager Patrick Shone said the affected areas were Wemmershoek and the Groot Drakenstein mountain.
Almost 11 800ha of fynbos had been destroyed in Wemmershoek and 7 100ha on the Groot Drakenstein. — Sapa