Wiese praises firefighters as wildfire threatens famous Lourensford wine estate

The wine farm‚ founded in 1700‚ is among properties which have been threatened or damaged by an inferno that has been raging for the past three days around Somerset West.

• Sea rescuers lend a hand at Somerset West firesThe National Sea Rescue Institute’s (NSRI) Gordons Bay volunteers turned their attentions inland this week as they gave support to those fighting the Somerset West fires. 

The four-star Bezweni Lodge was gutted during the week‚ as the fires caused damage worth an estimated R50 million.

Wiese told TMG Digital on Friday that the blaze was raging in an area above his property‚ which is surrounded by the Helderberg and Hottentots Holland mountains.

• ‘Extremely high fire danger’ warning in place for Western CapeMore blazes are possible over the weekend with Weather SA on Friday issuing a warning that “extremely high fire danger conditions are expected in places over the Cape Metropole as well as southern parts of Cape Winelands of the Western Cape”. 

Wiesse is dreading a repeat of a blaze seven years ago that gutted his pine trees‚ resulting in losses of up to R12-million.

“With the fires you never know‚” he said. “Unfortunately it got out of control again last night because the wind came up but we have fire fighters‚ fire trucks‚ helicopters. So they are fighting very hard. That is why is doesn’t seem as if there is a threat to the human lives or even to the orchards.”

“But they are battling it very hard. Fortunately the wind died down a little bit a few hours ago.”

Somerset West resident Stuart Pringle ‏tweeted images of helicopters being used to fight the fire.

Choppers bravely flying in strong winds to fight the Somerset West fires above Lourensford #heroes@CapeTalk@KFMzapic.twitter.com/fpuHOcRscr

— StuartPringle (@StuartPringle1) January 6, 2017

Recalling the previous fire‚ he said: “That fire came from the Stellenbosch side‚ this time it came from the Sir Lowry’s Pass side. We lost about 800 hectares of pine forest [in the first fire]. I didn’t replant the forest but there is natural growth of the pine trees. But we reduced the total area of the pine trees substantially to guard against the fires.”

In 2009 Wiese watched helplessly as vineyards‚ fruit orchards and pine trees went up in smoke. “It is always sad to see such a beautiful place scarred by fire but within a year or two‚ when the winter rains come and the fynbos has grown again‚ those scars will be largely obliterated‚” he told the Sunday Times at the time.

The estate was once part of Willem Adriaan van der Stel's Vergelegen – the country's oldest wine farm that was also damaged by the blaze this week. Vergelegen chief executive Don Tooth‚ told TMG Digital that 40% of the wine farm was burnt within a 12-hour period due to winds of more than 100km/h fanning the flames.

The mayoral committee member for safety in the City of Cape Town‚ Jean-Pierre “JP” Smith‚ said that a four-wheel-drive firefighting vehicle had also been destroyed by the fire.

Explaining some of the numbers behind this week’s efforts to contain the blaze‚ he revealed that:

• 240 firefighters were involved‚ including 126 city firefighters;
• Working on Fire‚ City of Cape Town biodiversity management firefighting staff‚ Wildfire Volunteer groups and the Fire Protection Association were also assisting
• 33 city firefighting vehicles had been deployed to help douse the fire;
• There had been no loss of life or humans injured‚ other than firefighters suffering from smoke inhalation;
• Large numbers of animals had been rescued‚ including horses‚ baboons‚ snakes‚ tortoises and deer;
• Seven structures were destroyed‚ including one dwelling‚ Bezweni Lodge and outbuildings;
• Just over R51 million worth of damage has been identified so far.