More than 65 000 hectares destroyed

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GEORGE NEWS AND VIDEO - At least 65 000 hectares of vegetation has been destroyed over the week during raging fires that swept through the Garden Route. This figure could easily rise to 74 000 hectares, should the fire at De Vlugt be taken into account. An estimated number of 12 houses and nine structures were razed during the blaze.

The fire started last Wednesday in Herold and spread to George and surrounding areas. On Monday another fire started in Karatara and several others where ignited by lightning.

By the time of going to print yesterday afternoon, there was still an active head of fire behind De Vlugt and swirls of smoke could be seen all around George. Those familiar with the situation emphasised that the next 48 hours would be critical.

During a briefing session attended by the Western Cape MEC Alan Winde and the mayors of George and the Garden Route, amongst others, it came to light that George's first major concern had been to protect the waterworks at the top of Ninth Avenue. Garden Route Disaster Manager Gerhard Otto gave an overview of the latest situation and explained how it all unfolded.

"The fire break at the back of Denneoord was done to protect the waterworks. As the fire progressed, teams were placed all around the fire," said Otto. According to Otto the fire in Karatara that went out of control was monitored by SANParks.

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Residents of Blanco evacuated from the neighbourhood on Monday. Photo: Wessel van Heerden

Blanco residents arrived at the George City Hall during lunch time on Monday. Photo: Eugene Gunning

"They were really banking on the indigenous forest to keep the fire back. Normally the indigenous forest does that, but in this case it did not. We now know what the consequence of that was - we lost lives," said Otto. Eight people died in the fire at Karatara.

Otto said the evacuation plan in George, which was taken as a precautionary measure, worked. In Rheenendal, 1 000 people have been evacuated since Monday evening. George community halls were among those used to house Rheenendal residents. GO GEORGE buses were used as transport. Late Tuesday afternoon the wind changed and directed the fire away from Rheenendal.

Late yesterday afternoon the fire at De Vlugt was coming round to the area of Eselsjagt and Noll, but these were surrounded by firefighting teams. According to Otto it was burning against the wind.

Otto had a lot of praise for the fire belts of George Municipality, saying they were a saving grace from where firefighting activities could be started.

Rosemoor Sport Stadium is used as a base camp for the 579 firefighters working in the whole area. The coordination is done by the Garden Route fire chief, Freddy Thaver.

Garden Route Disaster Manager Gerhard Otto. Photo: Michelle Pienaar

A resident of Blanco knows what's important in life. Many reached out to fetch their pets from home before leaving the neighbourhood. Photo: Eugene Gunning