News24 | Stanford residents warned to ‘prepare for any eventuality’ as wildfire rages

Landowners around Stanford have been warned to “prepare for any eventuality” as a wildfire blazes across the area.

• Landowners around Stanford have been warned to “prepare for any eventuality” as a wildfire blazes across the area.
• The fire, now in its second day, is one of three fires that firefighters are currently battling in the Western Cape.
• A blaze in Mossel Bay, which has burnt around 19 square kilometres over the last four days, was brought under control on Thursday.

Landowners around Stanford in the Western Cape have been warned to “prepare for any eventuality” and be ready for active firefighting, as a wildfire blazes across the area.

The fire, now in its second day, was “burning out of control in dense vegetation”, said Overstrand municipal manager Dean O’Neill.

“A helicopter is on its way from Stellenbosch to give aerial support to the fire in Stanford, between the Die Kop informal settlement and Stanford Industria,” said O’Neill.

“Landowners in the surrounding area are urged to remain vigilant, clear around their properties, and be prepared for any eventuality.”

Another fire in the Pearly Beach area, which has now been raging for five days, also saw the R43 between Buffeljags and Pearly Beach closed on Thrusday morning.

On Wednesday afternoon, the fire made a 360-degree turn and was actively burning back from Baardskeerdersbos towards Duinefontein Game Reserve. It was also burning back towards the seaside, where the lines had already reached local farms.

Further afield, in the Garden Route, a wildfire in Mossel Bay, which has burnt around 19 square kilometres, was finally brought under control on Thursday morning, but has still not been contained.

The Mossel Bay Municipality said that no teams were standing down and maximum resources had been deployed to the area.

Evacuations took place on Tuesday night, but residents were allowed to return to their homes on Wednesday. And the municipality on Thursday confirmed that no further evacuations had been effected since.

In the interim, it asked members of the public to pause donation drop-offs at the Schoeman Street Fire Station until they had established exactly what was needed, saying it would announce a structured channel for donations soon.