Fire hits hard
2007-02-15
THE Du Toit’s Kloof mountain pass, as well as the Hugenot tunnel, was closed last Wednesday night due to a veld fire which swept through the mountain.
Traffic had to be diverted through Bainskloof, causing havoc on this narrow pass.
The fire raged from the Breedevallei area to the high peaks of the mountain overlooking Paarl.
A spokesperson for Cape Nature said that more than 3500 hectares of fynbos was destroyed, but he added that the vegetation was already 16 years old and was due to burn to stimulate further growth.
The fire spread rapidly because of the excessively dry and windy conditions, but was doused when the cold front moved in on Thursday with good rains contributing to extinguishing the flames.
* Despite heavy rain on Friday evening, five informal homes were razed to the ground in Fairyland.
The fire started at approximately 22:00, leaving 31 people scurrying to the safety of other homes.
No one was injured in the incident and it is suspected that the fire started due to a lit pariffin stove which was left unattended.
A spokesperson of the fire department said that such fires are often caused by open flame being left unattended.
* It looks af if January will be the hottest month of the year, when the mercury rose to 46 degrees during the recent heatwave.
February's temperatures have been more moderate and are expected
to hover around 30 degrees this weekend.
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