Fires in the Cape

Firesin the Southern Cape

2February 2006

Table Mountain, the Peninsula and Southern Cape are on red alert as firefighters battle 11 more blazes and hot, dry and windy weather has been forecast until theweekend. On Wednesday temperatures are expected to reach a maximum of 34°C in Cape Town, a sizzling 38°C in Worcester and Paarl and 36°C inOudtshoorn. On Thursday Cape Town is expected to swelter with 31°C, Paarl and Worcester a scorching 38°C and Oudtshoorn 40°C.The south-easterly winds are expected  to be strong, similar to Tuesday’s. The temperature is going to be slightly higher, with runaway fire conditions.”

AQUA
1 February 2006
17:10 hrs UTC

As the alert was issued, homes in the Stanford area in the Southern Cape had to be evacuated as a raging fire threatened properties and destroyed farmland and wild flowers in a swath10 km long.

Last week’s Table Mountain fire, in which a British tourist died, flared up again. Smaller grass and bush fires were reported near the Rondevlei Nature Reserve, Klapmuts, Weltevreden Valley, Atlantis, Lentegeur, Westridge, Redhill, Ocean View andSlangkop. On Tuesday night a fire broke out in bush above Tamboerskloof, which had escaped last week’s blaze.

The Southern Cape bush fire started in the Stanford area on Monday and by Tuesday afternoon had spread across10 km and was burning on a 2 km front, according to the Overberg fire department.

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