Fires still burning in Western Cape

Cape Town - Fires are still burning in Slangkop Valley, near Bainskloof, and in Stanford, near Hermanus, Working on Fire (WoF) said on Monday.

Hundreds of people had to be evacuated from their homes as the blazes, fanned by strong winds, spread over the mountains in the Cape Winelands.

Two houses were damaged and 2 500ha were destroyed by the fires at the weekend, the Cape Winelands Municipality station commander Roysten Harris told News24.

However, Harris said that the fire was “stable” on Monday afternoon as the weather had become quite overcast and firefighters were making their way up the mountain to put it out completely before the wind picked up again.

He said his team was almost on top of the mountain.

A family that went hiking up the mountain on Sunday had to be rescued, WoF said.

Three Working on Fire teams were at work on the Slangkop blaze while two WoF teams were fighting the fire in Stanford, spokesperson Leanne McKrill said.

McKrill said that temperatures are expected to rise on Tuesday and the wind is also expected to pick up.

There have been no reports of animals being harmed in the fires.

- News24