Arson suspected in Cape Winelands blaze

[schumi]

Cape Town - Arson is suspected to be the cause of a four-day blaze which ripped through the Cape Winelands, fire and rescue services said on Tuesday.

This is being investigated after the fire resulted in an estimated 1 600 hectares of vegetation burning.

Incident commander Heinrich Louw said mop-up operations were underway and no flare-ups, fatalities, or property damage, had been reported overnight.

“The fire is about 85% contained and one active line is still burning, high up on the Groot Drakenstein Mountain,” he told News24.

Monitoring and mop-up operations would continue throughout the day.

In the early hours of Monday, firefighters prevented the blaze from spreading to the Ole Gustro Farm in the Jonkershoek Valley. The blaze escalated between Sunday night and Monday morning due to strong winds.

Over 120 firefighters from Cape Nature, Working on Fire, Cape Winelands firefighters, and contractors, battled the blaze.

On Sunday, the fire was contained during the morning, but with a change of the wind at 15:00, it moved in different directions.

One part had spread further into the Kloof Valley and jumped the river towards the Klein Drakenstein mountain range. It also spread into the Hells Hoogte Pass area.

News24
http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/arson-suspected-in-cape-winelands-blaze-20161122

 

[MrGray]

At the height of the fire season last year there were three or four major fires daily on the peninsula but media played down the arson aspect when it was abundantly clear that these weren't all happening by some kind of random accident. IMHO there has been a sustained and co-ordinated campaign of what amounts to low level terror by setting these fires constantly, starting two summers ago. But let's all pretend in Jan/Feb when the mountains are constantly burning and the water helicopters flying constantly that this is normal. Ho hum.

 

[genetic]

At the height of the fire season last year there were three or four major fires daily on the peninsula but media played down the arson aspect when it was abundantly clear that these weren't all happening by some kind of random accident. IMHO there has been a sustained and co-ordinated campaign of what amounts to low level terror by setting these fires constantly, starting two summers ago. But let's all pretend in Jan/Feb when the mountains are constantly burning and the water helicopters flying constantly that this is normal. Ho hum.

It's not the last two summers, it's been happening for decades.

 

[Alan]

Fire on Sir Lowry's Pass as well now

 

[alternate]

There is some light rain thankfully.

Fires usually don't start this early.

 

[MrGray]

It's not the last two summers, it's been happening for decades.

Sure, but it really intensified from two years ago, especially on the south peninsula.

 

[Fulcrum29]

There is some light rain thankfully.

Fires usually don't start this early.

It is dry and the Cape Doctor is restless, spells hell to spawn. No rain here, but Hermanus was soaked the other day.

 

[Mila]

I hate it when people set fire to even grass. The poor little animals that are burnt to death.
You see these asholes walk down the roads with a sick that is on fire causing veld fires all over the place.