Firefighters Battle Ongoing Blazes In Cape Winelands

Firefighters are still deployed to fires that have been burning for several days in Wellington in the Boland and are now also battling a blaze that broke out in the Witzenberg Valley in the Cape Winelands.

Cape Winelands Municipal spokesperson Jo-Anne Otto says the fire spread overnight due to strong winds and dry conditions, posing a threat to farmland.

She adds that firefighting efforts are being hampered by inaccessible terrain and dense vegetation, with conditions expected to worsen due to high temperatures.

"The fire in the Witzenberg Valley started on Thursday morning in the upper slopes of the mountain on the Tulbagh side. It is currently burning into the farmland of the farms Wakkerstroom and Ouplaas. The team of three CWDM fire vehicles and crew and one ground team are currently engaged in active firefighting and crop protection," says Otto.

Regarding the Wellington fire, Otto says teams are now in their fourth day of firefighting efforts. "Teams report that they spent a frustrating night in very warm conditions."