Crews fight Paarl fire as it races towards Huguenot Tunnel
FIREFIGHTERS yesterday continued to battle a fire that started along the Du Toit’s Kloof Pass near Paarl, as it burned out of control and moved towards the Huguenot Tunnel.
The fire broke out on Tuesday afternoon opposite the Du Kloof Hotel.
The Cape Winelands Municipality’s Fire Service, with its partners, the Fire Protection Association and CapeNature, deployed nine fire vehicles and crews.
By yesterday, the fire had moved into the cliffs in the direction of the Huguenot Tunnel.
“During (yesterday), the fire burned away from the N1, into the higher cliffs of the mountain. Fire and ground crews will continue with active firefighting as the fire line becomes accessible and will stay on the scene throughout the night. There are five firefighting vehicles and four ground teams from NCC Environmental Services and CapeNature. There is currently no threat to property,” the municipal fire service said.
As a precautionary measure, the fire service was actively protecting a few small structures in the area while all roads were opened.
Motorists were cautioned to remain vigilant and avoid hindering fire vehicles on the road.
Mark Jury, an associate professor of climatology at the University of Zululand, highlighted in 2020 that Cape Town would be drastically affected by climate change due to drought.
“The drying trend near Cape Town is associated with a poleward shift of the subtropical ridge, more frequent easterly winds, and a longer summer dry season. The easterly winds have secondary consequences: increased south coast upwelling and low-level subsidence over the Hottentots-Holland .”