Cape mountain fire almost contained

A mountain fire near Hermanus in the Western Cape is 95% contained, with only one structure destroyed to date, the Overstrand municipality reported on Tuesday afternoon.

The fire started on state land above Kleinmond on Friday and has destroyed about 4,000 hectares of fynbos. It briefly threatened the upmarket Arabella resort between Kleinmond and Hermanus. Firefighting teams were attending to flare-ups and hotspots.

“Aerial resources have bombed the area since early this morning and, supported by their relief crew, continue mopping up operations,” said Overstrand mayor Annelie Rabie.

Farmers assisted firefighting teams to contain the blaze, and a mountain back-burn prevented damage to farmlands.

Western Cape local government, environmental affairs and development planning MEC Anton Bredell commended all involved in the firefighting effort, including personnel from the City of Cape Town, Western Cape disaster management, the Overberg and Overstrand municipalities, CapeNature, Working on Fire and volunteer firefighting units.

He said the province had been building its fire management resources and systems over the past 10 years, resulting in 90% of fires extinguished within the first hour.

TimesLIVE