Eighty percent of the fire at Greyton in the Overberg in the Western Cape has been contained. There are however still two active fire lines.
One is in a kloof above Genadendal and the other close to Riviersonderend. Fire services say the line in Genadendal is extremely difficult to access.
The weather has improved since Tuesday with temperatures dropping, clouds moving in and light drizzle falling.
Overberg Fire Chief Reinard Geldenhuys says this will greatly assist to contain the fire.
He says Tuesday’s strong winds fuelled the fire resulting in the loss of five structures including a home and expensive cold storage on a farm.
Two boys are suspected to have started the fire. Geldenhuys says the matter is under investigation. Meanwhile, firefighters have extinguished the blaze that engulfed a business premise on Shetland Road in Wentworth south of Durban.
It is alleged that the business was a shoemaking factory. One person was reportedly rushed to hospital after she jumped out of the window to escape the flames. Two others were treated on the scene.
“Firefighters have managed to contain the fire at the factory at Shetland Road in Durban. They are still at the scene. They are just damping down hotspots. The blaze has been contained. They managed to stop the fire from spreading to other buildings. At this stage, it is not confirmed if anybody sustained injuries from the blaze. Earlier on there was speculation that two people had been injured however these people were transported from the scene before EMS arrived and this can’t be absolutely confirmed. The cause of the fire is not known at this stage,” says KwaZulu-Natal EMS Spokesperson Robert McKenzie.
