Western Cape fire confined

Emergency officials fight a blaze in Hermanus. (Marike Groenewald, Twitter)

Johannesburg - A fire that burnt across two thousand hectares in the Overstrand area is being brought under control, the municipality said on Saturday.

The fire has been confined to one portion of a mountain east of Hermanus and will be monitored throughout the night, said municipal spokesperson Fanie Krige.

"Late this afternoon they were still trying to deal with flare-ups and they made use of the helicopter to water bomb the flare-ups," Krige said.

He said firefighters hope the cooler temperatures at night will cause the fire to die down and it can finally be put out in the morning.

"It will be sort of mopping up," Krige said.

There is believed to be no threat of the fire spreading to any houses in Hermanus.

Firefighters are still concerned about a second front of the fire that runs along the seaside due to the heavy growth of vegetation in the area.

Krige said no injuries or fatalities had been reported.

Two firemen had been treated for heat exhaustion before they quickly returned to fighting the blaze.

The fire has caused some damage around the Hermanus Yacht Club. It destroyed three boats that were on land.

It also destroyed some caravans, two cabins and a caretaker’s house.

The fire had also burned on the road between Hermanus and Stanford and had cut electricity in the area after burning down electricity poles.

As a result there were many power disruptions in the Gansbaai and Stanford areas, with the R43 road also being closed.


- SAPA/News24