Alleged fire-starter arrested

Hotel management tells of extensive damage caused by the blaze

THE deputy manager of the Glen Craig Country Hotel in Pringle Bay has called for the harshest punishment to be meted out to the man allegedly responsible for starting the devastating fire which is still raging in the Overberg.

The blaze also claimed the life of a woman. The 34-year-old man is expected to appear in the Caledon Magistrate’s Court on Monday.

Police arrested the man on Thursday and charged him under the National Environmental Management Act.

Nicholas Smith did not mince his words when he expressed his feelings about the man who allegedly set off a flare in the Betty’s Bay area.

“He knew what he was doing. He showed no consideration for the people and the area. Everyone knows this area is a nature reserve,” said a visibly upset Smith.

The Glen Craig Country Hotel is situated below one of the slopes that is still burning in Pringle Bay.

When Weekend Argus visited the area yesterday, teams of firefighters were still battling the blaze which broke out in the early hours of New Year’s Day.

The fire has turned the lush, green areas of Betty’s Bay and Pringle Bay into wastelands and an eerie feeling of desolation hangs over the two otherwise picturesque seaside resort towns.

Smith recalled how he was called by the hotel manager while on his way to work on Tuesday morning to say the R44 had been closed because of the fire.

“The fire reached our hotel in the early hours of Tuesday morning. Luckily, we had operators and staff on the premises and our guests and staff were safely evacuated,” said Smith.

According to Smith, the hotel has 24 rooms and occupancy at this time of year is usually at 50% full, but now it stands on zero.

“Luckily, we have good relations with the other businesses in the area and we were able to find alternative accommodation for our guests,” said Smith.

“This building is a grade C3 Heritage Site. It’s more than 60-yearsold, which means that we have to restore the building to as close to its original form as possible,” he lamented.

The hotel suffered damage to exterior doors and windows, the lapa is damaged, the swimming pool is dirty as a result of ash and debris, the reception area has been damaged as well as staff accommodation.

“It’s now just a lunar landscape. We had such wonderful Proteas and now it’s all gone. We know that the natural vegetation will rejuvenate itself. The biodiversity in this area is unique to the region. The psychological, emotional and loss-of-income effect is 100%,” said Smith.

Smith told Weekend Argus, the son of the woman who died in the blaze, was on the front line fighting the fire when his mother perished.

Despite the despair, the deputy manager was full of praise for the firefighters and the communities who rallied together in their time of crisis.

“People were handing out boerie rolls, water and cold drinks to all those who were trying to put out the blaze. The community and everyone with their finger on the pulse came out, and that was the only light in this story,” said Smith.

Smith concluded that while there was no quick fix, no magic wand, he did stress that education was key to prevent this kind of disaster in future.

Meanwhile, in Paarl, MEC for Human Settlements Minister Bonginkosi Madikizela and provincial Treasury minister Ivan Meyer visited the Mbekweni Informal Settlement in Paarl yesterday where more than 500 families were affected by a fire that raged through the area.

More than 100 structures were damaged in the fire that started in the early hours of Wednesday morning. The cause of the fire is still being investigated.

“As government, we are discussing the resettling plan for the people of Mbekweni and, more importantly, to immediately provide the affected families with material. Some people have already started to rebuild their shacks so that their spaces are not lost to outsiders,” said Madikizela.

Drakenstein Municipality has been clearing the area of rubble and debris, as well as assisting the community with meals and access to essential services.

The Department yesterday delivered starter kits of housing material to help residents rebuild their homes as soon as possible.

MEC Madikizela added that longterm plans for the area would also be reviewed.

HENK KRUGER African News Agency (ANA) FIRE and Rescue lost one of their trucks when it got stuck while fighting the vegetation fire near Betty’s Bay. An out-of-control blaze in the area has resulted in the evacuation of some residents from their homes. The fires have affected areas close to Betty’s Bay, Pringle Bay, Hangklip and Rooi Els. |

WESTERN Cape Human Settlements MEC Bonginkosi Madikizela and provincial Treasury minister Ivan Meyer visited the Mbekweni Informal Settlement in Paarl where more than 500 families were affected by fire that raged through the area.

THE Glen Craig Country Hotel suffered extensive damage in the blaze, which is still burning in the Overberg area. It may take up to one month before the hotel can open its doors again.