GEORGE NEWS - Firefighters from all over the district were deployed on Monday and Tuesday to control the fire that flared up again in the Waboomskraal area on the northern slopes of the Outeniqua mountain.
Last week Thursday they managed to keep a runaway veld fire from spreading to a farmhouse and sawmill. It was then brought under control after staff from Working for Fire, Eden and George's municipalities kept the flames away from the Mountain to Ocean (MTO) pine plantation.
It was kept under surveillance but after it reignited 34 firefighters and four fire engines were dispatched to the Waboomskraal area.
Chantel Edwards-Klose, George municipality spokesperson said the Hansmoeskraal fire south of Pacaltsdorp was considered extinguished.
However, further east of Plettenberg Bay in The Crags area - a relentless battle was kept up until Tuesday (at the going to press) to control wildfires.
A joint operations centre was established on Friday and the Garden Route was declared a disaster area as fires broke out in the areas as far afield as Haarlem to Pinehaven, Knysna, Plettenberg Bay, Baviaanskloof and Port Elizabeth.
Lauren Howard, Working on Fire communications officer said 3000 hectares of parkland in the Garden Route National Park close to The Craggs have burnt down.
She reported that last week Friday 180 firefighters and 20 management staff were put in control of 34kms long active fire line. The fire started on private land on Monday
5 December and jumped to the park.
"The fire burnt mainly fynbos areas where there are no structures. The extent of the fire and multiple risks have resulted in the area being declared a fire disaster area in order to access additional resources. The provincial disaster management centre (PDMC) deployed an Oryx2 to water bomb the fires.
Heavy smoke impeded visibility and a wind travelling at 50 kmh had several aircraft including a spotter plane stranded."
The fire protection services (FPS), Southern Cape FPA (SCFPA), SANParks, MTO, Bitou municipality, fire authorities from Askop Crags and Plett South were amongst the organizations involved in fighting the fires. Working on Fire and volunteers coordinated resources and strategies.
On Monday morning the park's planning manager, Len du Plessis, speaking at the JOC centre, said the deployment of aerial resources help significantly to fight the active fire line while the wind is still.
"Resources deployed include two Huey helicopters, one bomber, one spotter, as well as firefighters from the WOF Bloemfontein and Thaba Nchu (Free State) who are still active on the fire line."
This is after the light rains of 10mm over the weekend brought some relief. "We remain grateful to all those helping to fight the fire and involved in efforts to keep the areas safe," he said.
When asked why in the case of August 2016 a Joint Operations Centre could not have been set up to manage widespread wildfires including in Wilderness, Edwards-Klose, replied: "George Municipality would like to reiterate that each fire and the circumstances surrounding each fire are unique."
She declined to answer the question as to which authority is responsible for deciding when more aerial resources are needed, and who would ultimately have to foot the bill. Eden District Municipality, however, indicated that it is the incident commander that has to take the decision to call in aerial resources.
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ARTICLE: PAULINE LOURENS, GEORGE HERALD JOURNALIST
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