Garden Route fires update: 3 November

GARDEN ROUTE NEWS - Smoke remains over George. Wind direction will turn this afternoon after 14:00 to SE and moderate (9km per hour) and it is expected to push smoke away.

Eastern Cape this morning urgently requested release of one spotter plane and one huey helicopter to Clarkson (infrastructure and lives under serious threat) – these aerial resources will be stood down and returned to George as soon as the situation has been stabilized.

Resources: Working on Fire has commissioned additional resources to assist – another 100 firefighters will be arriving tomorrow.

GEELHOUTBOOM moving towards Jonkersberg – Bombers have been dispatched. Farm houses will be evacuated as a precautionary measure once the fire reaches the trigger point set by Incident Management Team (IMT).

HOOGEKRAAL (KNYSNA) - Teams busy mopping-up operations. One fire line of concern was anchored and contained during evening operations.

FARLEIGH - Fire is under control with mopping up operations underway.

YELLOW WOOD TIMBERS - Smoke in the area because of sawdust burning but the fire is contained.

DE VLUGT (Northern Line) BUFFELSNEK – flared up and ground crews are attempting to suppress and contain. No infrastructure under threat.

DE VLUGT (Southern Line) moving in a southerly direction, has flared up and poses a shortterm threat to Sonskynvalley Village. Evacuation not yet activated but being prepared for. Aerial resources currently not available due to smoke.

SANDF Oryx will be dispatched to assist when possible.

GOUDVELD - Fire spreading in southerly direction around and between broken indigenous forest. Protea Valley Bosdorp is being evacuated. Line is extremely long and very difficult to contain. Line which was moving south below the indigenous forest in a thin finger of unmanaged land was contained and made safe in the evening.

LOUVAIN AND EP VAN ROOYEN - The fire is contained, mopping-up operations underway.

N9 - Mopping up operations underway.

GROENKLOOF - West Coast District Municipality and Garden Route DM busy with mopping-up operations underway.

GENEVAFONTEIN (GEORGE) Fire contained.

FERNRIDGE TO SAASVELD (GEORGE) Strike teams for the George Municipality will be attending to any flareups in this area. Fire contained. Mopping-up-operations underway.

Thank you for all donations for our firefighters, currently there is enough water.