Cape St Francis fires contained‚ but risk flare-ups remains

27 January 2016 - 12:45 By Riaan Marais

Firefighters again managed to extinguish the fires that have been raging near Cape St Francis since Saturday after an all-night battle‚ the Kouga municipality said on Wednesday morning. There are still many hotspots and the risk of the fire flaring up again remains.It's true - it can be used to fight fires - Cape St Francis fire fighting pic.twitter.com/N0uCWcuocS — Jeff Hudson (@jeffhudson3054) January 25, 2016async Cape St Francis residents decided to fight fire with fire on Tuesday‚ resorting to controlled burning in an attempt to create firebreaks to protect homes.“The preventative measures that were put in place made a big difference‚” Kouga municipality spokesperson Laura-Leigh Randall said.We currently have rain in #capetown but my heart goes out to those in Cape St Francis battling the fires! #staysafepic.twitter.com/px7wXbELmR— WorldWideActive (@ThatCoachKench) January 25, 2016async After a strong wind revived the dying fire on Tuesday morning‚ pushing the blaze away from Cape St Francis in the direction of Oyster Bay‚ firefighters and volunteers from the National Sea Rescue Institute decided to act quickly to prevent the fire from putting residents in danger again.Landowner Jan Riegaard said they proposed the “back burning” while the wind was in their favour‚ hoping this would create an area near the houses that would not catch fire if the wind turned.“We are working closely with the local fire brigade and emergency services to ensure the controlled burning is done safely‚” he said on Tuesday.Kouga municipality chief fire officer Dewald Barnard said they expected the wind to turn back towards Cape St Francis late on Tuesday night.“We will be monitoring the situation and will alert residents immediately if [necessary]‚” he said.Firefighters remain on the scene. - TMG Digital/The Herald...

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