A 42-year-old male appeared in the Paarl magistrate's court on Tuesday in connection with a devastating wildfire on Paarl Mountain that took firefighting crews from five municipalities to extinguish.
The suspect was arrested by Drakenstein municipality’s law enforcement division and police on Sunday. He faces charges related to the Veld and Forestry Fire Act after about 123ha of vegetation was burnt.
The fire raged from about midday on Saturday until it was brought under control in the early hours on Sunday. Drakenstein municipality’s fire and rescue services were assisted by the Cape Winelands district municipality, Swartland municipality, Stellenbosch municipality and City of Cape Town, as well as aerial support.
While firefighters fought to contain the blaze, authorities received crucial information about the alleged cause.
“Our law enforcement division immediately informed police, who followed up on the leads and arrested the suspect on Sunday afternoon. Drakenstein municipality is giving our full support to the police in the investigation,” said Dereck Peceur, head of fire and rescue operations and training at the municipality.
“When our fire and rescue services arrived at the scene and saw the extent of the fire, we informed the Cape Winelands district municipality, which immediately sent a ground crew and aerial support to assist our teams.”
The case was postponed to December 10.
TimesLIVE
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