A brief overview of Garden Route fires and premier Helen Zilie’s pop-in
Western Cape premier Helen Zille joined mayors of Garden Route District Municipality (GRDM), George, Mossel Bay, and Hessequa on Monday to inspect some of the areas affected by the latest Garden Route fire disaster, which reared its head on October 24.
On that Wednesday afternoon, a blaze in the Harold area was reported to the GRDM’s Disaster Management Centre (DMC). But at that point in time, all available resources were still tied up at the fire raging near Vermaaklikheid.
The first areas threatened included settlements on the northern side of the mountain Waboomskraal, Eselsjacht, Harold, and Louvain. Extremely dry and windy conditions led to the rapid spread of this wildfire, endangering George from the north.
By Monday, October 29, the situation had resulted in a call for voluntary evacuations in various areas of the town. The fires had by now spread east and by that afternoon. Eskom power lines providing electricity to Knysna, Bitou, and Oudtshoorn affected by the wildfires.
A week of extensive fire-fighting efforts in trying conditions followed (see the report on p3). By Sunday, November 4, main areas of concern included the fact that the fires northern flank was moving towards Highlands Lodge and farms in the Langkloof and the western flank towards the main power supply line of Oudtshoorn.
An active fire line on the east at Buffelsnek/Keurbooms River was moving towards Kransbos, while the Garcia Plantation wildfire was still active.
But these concerns were greatly ameliorated when Monday’s rainfall over a majority of the area assisted firefighters in containing most of the active fires.
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