Firefighting teams battling thedevastating veld fire in Mossel Bayand surrounding areas used cooler weather conditions on Friday to strengthen containment lines as authorities said the situation was stable but operations remained at full scale. According to Mossel Bay municipality, the first briefing of the day was held at the joint operations centre at 7am on Friday, followed by a briefing to Western Cape MEC for local government, environmental affairs and development planning Anton Bredell, who joined local and district leadership on site. Fire crews were deployed along the western flank between Aalwyndal and Renosterbos, where teams focused on securing the fire line while wind conditions were more favourable.
“All available water sources are being used to create a wet line several metres wide around the fire perimeter to prevent flare-ups”, said municipal officials. Hattingh Bornman, mayor of Kouga municipality, said aerial firefighting capacity to deal with fires there had been increased, with two helicopters working to contain the fire and another aircraft expected later in the day. “Firefighting operations are progressing well and the situation remains under control for now,” said Bornman.
The Mossel Bay fire, which started on a farm outside the town on Monday, spread rapidly due to adverse weather conditions, reaching the residential areas of Aalwyndal, Island View and Vakansieplaas on Tuesday. Several families have lost homes and belongings as a result. In response to the impact on residents, the department of social development has deployed social workers to assist families affected by trauma and property loss, particularly in Vakansieplaas. Bornman said all relevant stakeholders remained engaged and resources would continue to be deployed as needed, with further updates to be issued as conditions change.
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