Cape fires cause millions of rands worth of damage
Widespread fires in parts of the Western Cape have caused damage worth millions of rands.
According to the City of Cape Town's safety chief, JP Smith, the damage is already estimated at R54 million.
"We are looking at about 10 000 hectares of land affected by the fire," says Smith.
Fires broke out in the Somerset West and Stellenbosch areas last week.
Smith says the fires seemed to have been brought under control.
"There were small flare-ups, which the firefighters were monitoring and attending to and then with the extremely strong wind late yesterday afternoon we had substantial flare-ups which sent firefighters scurrying to bring them under control again," says Smith.
Crew briefing and kit checks as VWS volunteer crew prepares to deploy to mountains above Jonkershoek, as the #HelderbergFire continues. pic.twitter.com/Mg83FCktBl
— VWS Wildfires (@vwsfires) January 10, 2017
#SomersetFire - Day 8
— Working on Fire (@wo_fire) January 10, 2017
Due to strong winds caused major flare ups in the BlueGum forest
Spotter | Helicopter| WOF Team on scene #SavingLives pic.twitter.com/UX7q1hd9tK
Helderberg Fire is creeping into Jonkershoek @BMTbikeshop @MyStellenbosch @vwsfires pic.twitter.com/ucWH4LNYTr
— pieter du plessis (@race_director) January 10, 2017
The scene looking over Paarl this morning pic.twitter.com/OYbWviFO5m
— Troy Davies (@retroyspective) January 10, 2017