Firefighting efforts to contain a wildfire along the slopes of the Paardeberg in the Drakenstein area are continuing.
The Cape Winelands District Municipality confirmed that aerial resources were water bombing the area and were supported by three firefighting vehicles with crew and four ground teams.
“There has been no loss to property and the focus remains on protecting lives, livelihoods and property,” said the municipality.
Aerial resources in the form of two helicopters from contracted services, Leading Edge, had been deployed at first light earlier on Thursday.
Volunteer Wildfire Services said it was assisting firefighting efforts where two handcrews, one from the Newlands and South Peninsula base and the other from its Helderberg and Stellenbosch bases, had been dispatched to assist.
Also in the Cape Winelands, the municipality said the fire just outside Wolsely had been brought under control by Wednesday afternoon.
“The Cape Winelands District Municipality Fire Services and their partners can confirm that the fire at Romansrivier, outside of Wolseley, has been contained.
The fire had been fuelled by a gusting south-easterly wind. Cooler and calmer weather throughout the night and the combined efforts of all role players had brought the fire under control in the early hours of this morning.
Mopping up and monitoring activities would continue throughout the day, the municipality said.
The fire had razed a structure on La Plaisante Estate while a second structure suffered water damage. No injuries were reported.
Mayco member for Safety and Security, JP Smith, said: “The City’s Fire and Rescue Service responded to 1 014 incidents between Monday, 18 December and Tuesday, 26 December. Vegetation fires accounted for 65% of all incidents.
“The situation was compounded by a persistent south-easterly wind, with two warnings issued by the South African Weather Service for damaging winds.
“Apart from the massive fires in Simon’s Town and Glencairn, the Fire Service was also called on to deal with large vegetation fires in Melkbosstrand and Ottery.”
Cape Times