Fires of 2018: 90,000ha burnt, nine lives lost, 35 homes gutted, 1,500 evacuations, 600 fire-fighters activated…
While Monday and Tuesday’s cooler weather and rain along the Garden Route boosted efforts to contain the countless fires that have caused large-scale destruction in the region, efforts to help victims piece their lives back together have now started – YOLANDE STANDER reports
Over the past two Two weeks, the Southern Cape has been plagued by massive wildfires that not only claimed the lives of nine people, including six children and a pregnant woman, but have also so far destroyed about 90.000ha of land, gutted 35 homes, and partially destroyed 16 properties. More than 1.500 people were also evacuated.
The fires started on October 20 in the Vermaaklikheid area, about 40km from Riversdale. This fire was finally contained five days later, but not before 5,000ha of land and nine properties had been destroyed.
Knysna firefighting pilot Nico Heyns, 65, lost his life after his Working on Fire (WoF) Huey chopper crashed during firefighting efforts in the area.
Late afternoon on October 24, another fire broke out in the vicinity of George, largely within the Outeniqua Mountains, and subsequently, several others swept through areas such as Karatara near Knysna, the Tsitsikamma, as well as De Vlugt between Plett and Uniondale.
By this week, most of the fires had been contained and mop-up operations have started. According to the Garden Route District Joint Operations Centre, the biggest thorn in firefighters side was the De Vlugt wildfire.
They were unable to contain the blaze and aircraft were unable to do water drops due to thick smoke in the area. By Monday, flare-ups were at a minimum and were addressed in short periods.
“The [weather] conditions are conducive to mopping up activities and increased ground resources, if effectively managed, can result in the current 30% containment areas to increase to 80% by the end of the next four operational periods,” Garden Route District Municipality spokesman Herman Pieters said.
WoF spokesman Lauren I toward said about 90,000ha of land had been burnt, but that efforts by about 600 firefighters seemed to have paid off. Over the six days up to Monday, WoF spotter planes had flown more than 38 hours, while fixed-wing 802 air tractor bombers had flown about 22 hours. They dropped 950.000 litres of water over the period.
In these massive operations, the human spirit shone through. “It is absolutely incredible to see these men and women risk their lives to protect others,” Howard said.
Relief has been flooding in from across the region. George municipal spokesman Chantal Edwards Klose said at one stage they had to ask the community to refrain from dropping off any more donations as they had so much that they did not have the capacity to store the goods.
Plett resident Marius Venter, who along with several other residents established the Plett Fire Fund after the June 2017 devastation, said he had been overwhelmed by the generosity of the community.
In just a week, Plett loads contributed R 100,000 to relief efforts, which enabled them to purchase necessities for victims and firefighters.
“We have lived through last year’s fire disaster and know first-hand how horrific the impact is on those caught in the middle. It is because of this that people have been so generous,” Venter said.
He added that the gratefulness of the recipients had also been touching.
“Most of the victims had very little before the fires and now they have nothing. We were met with tears of gratitude wherever we went. A sandwich or a blanket meant the world to them.”
Plett residents also jumped in to assist when Buffelsnek residents were evacuated to Wittedrifl on Saturday. Enough goods were donated to ensure they were comfortable before heading back home on Monday.
GouKou Farm Watch members, who played a major role in containing the Vermaaklikheid fires, expressed their gratitude to among others Knysna and Plett residents for their support while they were battling the blaze last week.
“We would like to thank everyone for all their financial and other donations during this period.” GouKou Farm Watch member Werner Heyns said.
He added that the donations included everything from food and drinks to eye drops, sunscreen, and fuel.
“Without these contributions, we would not have been able to provide support to all the parties involved in the Vermaaklikheid fire.”
In the meantime, authorities are helping victims back on their feet.
“SANParks along with Knysna and George municipalities are in the process of writing to the National Department of Rural Development and Land Reform for assistance.
“The Department will assist with temporary housing material,” said Knysna municipal spokesman Churnisa Kalawe.
Most of the gutted houses were in the Karatara area. Residents affected by the fire are currently being accommodated at Sedgefield Community Hall and the SAN-Parks Wilderness camp.
As a short-term solution, SAN Parks will be re-integrating the community by providing accommodation for them for about four weeks. The Department of Social Development, SAN-Parks, and Knysna Municipality will provide food for the affected people.
SAN Parks spokesman Nandi Mgwadlamba said they were also in the process of investigating a temporary relocation area.
“Stakeholders will continuously communicate the developments with the 179 affected people,” Kalawe said.
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