Lightning sets off fire in Kouga Mountains

MORE than 3 000 hectares of land have been scorched by a fire in the Kouga Mountains outside Uniondale in the Southern Cape.

Fires have been raging across the mountain during the heatwave that has brought persistently high temperatures to the West Coast, Winelands, Cape Metropole, Overberg, Breede River Valley and Karoo areas of the province.

It was expected that temperatures would drop overnight.

Eden District Municipality disaster management spokesman Gerhard Otto said fires had broken out in the Uniondale area on Tuesday evening after lightning struck in five places.

“The lightning sparked fires that eventually came together into one big fire,” he said.

“We are monitoring the situation and making sure it does not threaten property.”

Otto said two teams of 50 people each were fighting the flames.

Smaller wildfires were being reported across the province, where the fire season was at its peak.

A fire raging in the Swellendam mountains is in its eighth day and Working on Fire is bringing in teams from other parts of the province to relieve its firefighters.

Overberg District Municipality fire chief Reinard Geldenhuys said the western flank had been secured, and firefighters were working on bringing the fire under control on the eastern flank.

“We had three lightning strikes close to the Helderstroom Prison (in Caledon) that started the fires,” Geldenhuys said. – Staff Reporter