A Schaapkraal blaze that has been blanketing several suburbs in smoke was still smouldering after four days.
Ward councillor Elton Jansen said that two helicopters have been called in to assist with fire fighting efforts. The choppers will be scooping water from the nearby Zeekoeivlei.
Yesterday ward Jansen posted an update on his WhatsApp channel saying that firefighters would remain on scene throughout the night to contain the blaze.
The fire broke out at approximately 11:40 on Saturday, 7 March, at Sonnestraal Farm in the Schaapkraal area, Philippi. Several crews battled the flames that ignited massive heaps of compost material, Jermaine Carelse, spokesperson for the City’s Fire Service said.
Strong winds hamper firefighting efforts
On Saturday, TygerBurger saw huge pillows of smoke from the blaze. It was visible from the surrounding suburbs of Strandfontein, Grassy Park, Ottery, Westridge and Philippi while a smokey haze settled over the area and affected residents up to 15km away.
Carelse said the blaze has been exacerbated by strong winds over the weekend, which have fanned the flames and caused smoke to travel in varying directions.
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He said firefighters used specialised techniques to tackle the stubborn fire, employing front-end loaders to shift through the compost heaps and expose the burning material at the centre.
“The actual fire is in the centre of the heap and is creating loads of smoke – which is travelling in different directions depending on the wind direction,” Carelse said.
Round-the-clock operations
By Monday afternoon, five firefighting vehicles and a crew of 20 were still on scene.
Carelse said: “The Fire and Rescue Service is doing everything in its power to extinguish the blaze – this is a very large quantity of compost that is burning. We will also consider different options such as foam application from a Turntable Ladder or making hover drops using our helicopters. These options will first be discussed with the land owner.”
Jansen added that air quality monitoring has been arranged to assess the impact of the smoke on surrounding areas.
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