Stanford and Pearly Beach are on high alert on Saturday as residents and tourists brace for evacuation while firefighters battle multiple blazes in the Western Cape.
Authorities on Saturday warned visitors to the area to leave as the blaze continued to spread, with heavy smoke and strong wind complicating firefighting efforts.
Warnings issued by the Stanford municipality stated that thick smoke was hovering over the area and people would need to start evacuating if this did not improve.
The Stanford fire in the Overstrand region posed a threat to homes in the Thembelihle township, and 120 people were evacuated from the Die Kop informal settlement as crews battled the fire.
Overstrand municipal manager Dean O’Neill urged residents to remain vigilant.
“Roads are being closed to prevent motorists from waiting on the roads in the Stanford area. Conditions may change rapidly, and residents are advised to rather be safe than sorry,” O’Neill said.
Jermaine Carelse, spokesperson for the City of Cape Town’s fire and rescue service, said efforts to control the spread of fires were ongoing.
“The city has numerous resources on the scene. Helicopters have also been brought in to waterbomb the flames, fanned by strong southeasterly winds.”
He said firefighters were also deployed to Mossel Bay, where a vegetation fire which had burnt for three days was contained. Monitoring was also ongoing in the Cape Winelands district in Franschhoek, Stormsvlei and Worcester, where fire lines had been doused.
The South African Tourism Services Association (Satsa) warned that while the conditions were “not uncommon at this time of year”, heightened vigilance was required, along with “a co-ordinated response from authorities and the tourism sector”.
Tourism in some regions had been severely affected as fires disrupted key destinations and travel routes. Certain outdoor activities or routes may be temporarily restricted in line with official safety advisories, Satsa said, adding that route changes could also affect travel time for travellers.
Tourists were warned to be flexible with outdoor plans and to monitor local emergency advisories while avoiding areas where fire is a risk.
Local SPCA branches reported having sent out search-and-rescue teams that found during operations that a large amount of wildlife had perished, and much of what was found was only the skeletons of animals which were unable to escape the blaze.
The Nelson Mandela Bay municipality confirmed that while fire incidents in the Eastern Cape had increased since December, teams were successfully containing outbreaks and maintaining a high level of readiness.
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