GARDEN ROUTE NEWS - A veld fire in the Jongensfontein area that had previously been extinguished, flared up quickly and became uncontrollable due to strong south-easterly winds the day before Christmas.
Emergency backburning was implemented and continued throughout the night, with the close-out of two burns on the south-westerly and north-westerly flanks achieved by 06:00 on Christmas morning. The wildfire remains contained.
"GRDM Fire and Rescue Services have scaled down their main station crew for this incident," said GRDM Executive Mayor Andrew Stroebel.
Mopping up and patrolling efforts will now be handled by the GRDM Riversdale crew and the Working on Fire Riversdale ground crew, with standby support readily available from Hessequa Municipality.
Fire Chief Deon Stoffels said: "We remain on high alert due to a predicted change in wind direction from the west later today and into tomorrow."
Garden Route District Wildfire: Kammanassie, George Municipal Area
The eastern flank of the Kammanassie wildfire remains active in an inaccessible area and is slowly spreading toward the east and Potjiesberg. Firefighters were able to make great progress throughout the night.
"Forecasted high temperatures, low humidity, and variable wind conditions are expected to challenge firefighting efforts. These factors, combined with the rugged terrain, may contribute to increased fire behavior and complicate containment strategies toward the east especially," said Deon Stoffels, GRDM Fire Chief.
Farms and structures are further east, and this is being closely factored into planning and response efforts.
The Garden Route District Municipality, the Southern Cape Fire Protection Association (East Region), and Working on Fire are attending to this wildfire. Should you spot a wildfire, please report it immediately to the GRDM Emergency Call Centre at 044 805 5071 or send a WhatsApp message to 081 709 5193.
Garden Route District Wildfire: Buffelsdift (N9), Oudtshoorn Municipal Area
A lightning strike caused a wildfire north of the N9 near Buffelsdift late yesterday afternoon, Thursday 26 December.
Fire Management Units and farmers from Red Dot Farms and surrounding farms, played a significant role in containing the wildfire, using tractor carts to prevent its spread to the north, east, and south.
Currently, the only active fire line is on the western side, as confirmed by the Garden Route District Municipality Fire Services during assessment last night.
Efforts this morning will focus on addressing the western wildfire line to prevent further spread.
Garden Route District Wildfire: De Kombuys, Oudtshoorn Municipal Area
A lightning strike has caused a wildfire north of Oudtshoorn, in the De Kombuys area, just north of Wilgewandel.
The fire is active in mountainous terrain, which is currently inaccessible for firefighting crews.
Oudtshoorn Municipality teams are closely monitoring the situation, as structures are approximately 1.5 kilometers to the south.
Garden Route Wildfires: Robinson Pass, Mossel Bay Municipal Area
A lightning-induced wildfire was detected on Robinson Pass late last night, initially burning with high intensity on the western side of the Pass.
Currently, the area is covered in mist, and the fire line appears broken at this stage.
CapeNature, Oudtshoorn, and Mossel Bay teams are monitoring the fire, which remains active in higher elevations of the mountain. Garden Route District Municipality will attend this fire later this morning.
Favourable weather conditions are forecasted for later this afternoon, with an expected 2mm of rain that might help extinguish this wildfire.
Should you spot a wildfire, please report it immediately to the GRDM Emergency Call Centre at 044 805 5071 or send a WhatsApp message to 081 709 5193.
Robinson Pass. Photos: Supplied
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