Africa-Press – South-Africa. Firefighters in the Cape Winelands are battling to contain a massive fire along the Worcester side of the Du Toitskloof Pass.
The fire, which is being fuelled by a combination of old, mixed vegetation and gusty, changeable winds, is situated on the weigh bridge side of the N1.
Cape Winelands District Municipality’s (CWDM) fire services said they had been joined by teams from CapeNature as they continued to battle the inferno.
CWDM spokesperson, Jo-Anne Otto, said the fire line on the right flank, running parallel to the N1, was mostly under control and the fire crews were satisfied with the progress.
“There is a total of 28 firefighters and ground crew assisted by three fire vehicles on the line. The left flank is, however, presenting some problems, mostly due to the high fuel load that the vegetation is providing,” she said.
CapeNature had a total of 43 ground crew members and staff on the fire line.
The local Breede Valley Municipality assisted crews with the supply of a water tanker.
Otto said the N1 remained open to traffic, however commuters were warned that one lane was closed just after the weigh bridge to accommodate the fire vehicles.
“The teams will continue with firefighting activities throughout the night and into Thursday, when fresh crews will replace the current ground teams to continue with monitoring and mopping up operations. The fire services request that commuters please drive with care when passing the fire vehicles and not to slow down or stop for photos. This creates a hazardous situation for other commuters,” she warned.
Earlier on Wednesday morning, firefighters were also attending to a small fire in the mountains above Mitchell’s Pass in Ceres. The fire was high up in the mountain and wasn’t posing a threat to infrastructure.
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