Fire hits Maties students

Nearly 100 students and staff were evacuated from Stellenbosch University yesterday due to fires started by firefighters.

Working on Fire crews started back-burn fires on the Coetzenburg side of the Stellenbosch mountains, where the university's department of sports science is situated.

They intended to prevent the spread of the fire that started in the Jonkershoek Nature Reserve on Monday.

For two days, the fire was thought to be contained, but strong south-easterly winds caused a flare-up, moving it towards Stellenbosch.

University student Henk Laubscher said it was "raining ash over Stellenbosch" on Tuesday night.

Fire crews used the back-burn, or control burn method - in which a fire is intentionally started in the opposite direction of an advancing fire to put it out when the two fires meet - to create a barrier between the blaze and populated areas around the mountains.

Crew leader Wesley Langeveld said: "We are back- burning from Stellenbosch all the way to the Helderberg."

The method proved successful, and by yesterday afternoon the fire was contained as it moved away from residential areas.

Cape Winelands Fire Department spokesman Justin Lawrence said: "The [blaze] moving towards Stellenbosch is contained. We will only be monitoring Jonkershoek and Banhoek, which is at the top of the mountain, overnight."

Lawrence confirmed that 3800ha of vegetation had been lost in the three-day blaze.