Heroic effort to fight fires

can be salvaged. My carport, where a lot of equipment was stored, was completely destroyed. All my tools are gone.

“Luckily, when we opened the house the two bigger dogs came out from under the beds where they were hiding.

“I was so relieved.” Hendricks said the fire was brought under control before it could cause any damage to the pump station, and water services would not be disrupted.

The family who suffered damage to their home in Schoenmakerskop were busy rearranging their belongings and assessing the damage they had suffered when the Herald team arrived at the property yesterday.

The homeowner, who did not want to be named, said they were grateful for the assistance from their neighbours and firefighters.

The fire had destroyed a section of their fence and several plants.

The back corner of the house showed signs of fire damage as the walls were slightly scorched, with the gutters warped and melted by the intense heat.

A section of the ceiling inside the house had started smouldering, and it suffered a fair amount of water damage from fire extinguishing efforts.

The rest of Schoenmakerskop escaped mostly unscathed.

At the back of the village, where the houses border the flaming bushes, firefighters managed to keep the fire at bay, leaving a strip of green vegetation between the houses and the completely charred remains of fynbos and other vegetation.

Some of the residents closest to the blaze, including the elderly from the Sappershoek retirement village, were evacuated as a precaution while the worst of the fire raged nearby on Wednesday night.

Luckily, they were able to return home a few hours later.

Nelson Mandela Bay acting senior director for fire and emergency services Hendrik McLeod said since the fire was first reported at about 1pm on Wednesday, the fire scar had spread more than 60km.

Fire-fighting efforts were hampered by consistent gusting winds, as well as challenging sandy terrain.

Luckily, by yesterday afternoon McLeod said the fire had been contained and firefighters were dealing with flare-ups as they occurred.

“Our teams are on the ground, being assisted by residents acting as lookouts, to point us in the direction of the flare-ups.”

Other than partially evacuating the retirement village at Sappershoek because of the thick smoke, no other evacuations were done.

McLeod expressed his appreciation to the community for their unrelenting support, from supplies at the frontlines, to heavy-duty vehicles helping to bulldoze paths for emergency vehicles to reach the blaze.

“Not only did you assist in the firefighting effort, but your support helped to boost the morale of our teams on the ground, and for that we are truly grateful,” McLeod said.

Municipal spokesperson Mthubanzi Mniki said fire and emergency services personnel, along with traffic officials, deserved recognition for their efforts as they had spent the entire night on Wednesday on the frontlines.

“Despite strong winds hampering their efforts, the teams on the ground worked tirelessly to protect people and property for most of Wednesday, through the night, as well as Thursday.

“We are pleased to say we have received no reports of serious injuries, and that is in no small part due to the efforts of the teams on the ground,” Mniki said.

Officials on the frontline also expressed their gratitude for the constant flow of help and supplies coming from the community at large.

“We are grateful to those who could not be here to help, but still found some way of contributing.

“Our people on the frontline, as well as our volunteers, are very appreciative.”

Donations were received from various neighbourhood watches across the city, while organisations such as the Animal Anti-Cruelty League, and private landowners and businesses, such as Deer Park and the Ascot Stud, offered assistance in the form of shelter for animals should any of the properties around Sardinia Bay require it.

The cause of the fire is not yet known.