By MALIBONGWE DAYIMANI, ATHENA O’REILLY and TYLER RIDDIN
Fire raged across thousands of hectares of farmland and forests around Amatola mountains as farmers were readying to evacuate their farmsteads yesterday.
Early and conservative estimates were that up 10000 hectares of grazing had been destroyed by at least two long walls of fire between Stutterheim, Cathcart and Hogsback.
One farmhouse, on Millerton, is believed to have been razed and livestock and farming infrastructure was also incinerated.
Scores of firefighters and farmers were fighting the fire on the ground, while a fleet of aircraft was in the air.
The inferno was fanned by a stiff 40km north-westerly wind.
The first blaze which started near Cata Peak on Wednesday was contained, but yesterday another blaze sprang up in the Upper Cathcart area, said Working for Fire and farmers.
As the sun sank, farmers in bakkies had evacuated their farms and were spoken to by a Saturday Dispatch team out on the R351.
Ravenshaw farmer Janine Cotterrell said the fire started close to the road to Hogsback at 1am yesterday.
“We have lost Millerton farmhouse. We have lost fences, water piping, three hay storage (structures), livestock and sheep.”
She said as many as 20 farms were damaged when the fire swept over a 40km area in Upper Cathcart.
“Two of our farming properties are burning. We have lost about 500 hectares.”
She said of the Upper Cathcart fire: “We suspect the human element. It started next to the road. There was no lightning or other (influences).”
Willie de Bruin, 72, of Weltevreden farm, watched in fear as the wind spread fire towards his farm. “We are just monitoring it,” he said.
John Rance, chairman of Rance Timber, said it was “huge” and stretched “for miles”.
“The fire did not reach our forests (plantations), luckily. But it started out on the Cathcart Road towards Hogsback.
“The guys have been fighting the fires and we were told that we are out harm’s way because thankfully the wind direction changed,” he said.
Working on Fire’s spokeswoman Nthabiseng Mokone said the blaze started in the Cata forest in the Amatola range on Wednesday and spread.
“The fires started in Cata forest but it spread to Hogsback and towards Cathcart.
“At the moment the fires are still spreading towards Stutterheim near Thomas River. We have four teams out trying to prevent the fires from spreading further. They battled for two days and managed to control it.
“But another fire sprang up this morning which they are trying to get under control as well,” she said.
Mokone said 72 firefighters working in teams were being assisted by two helicopters, one spotter plane and a plane which dropped water bombs.
Greater Stutterheim Fire Protection Association manager Pieter Rossouw said the fire had affected a “large bit of grazing land” out in the upper Cathcart area and Thomas River.
He said it started in the early hours of yesterday morning.
“It is a seriously big fire. When I got there some of the farmers were trying to douse the fire themselves. It is far away from the residential areas at this point, but one or two farmers may have had to evacuate their smallholdings.
“The upper Cathcart and Thomas River have been battling the most with the blaze,” he said.
“I can’t say for sure just how many kilometres it affected. It is quite rough out there.”
David Trent, manager of Thomas River Historical Village, said at 3pm: “We feel safe at the moment but every time the fire seems to die down the strong winds pick it up again.
“I think the fire started at around 4.30am this morning near Fort Beaufort where it started spreading eventually jumping a fire break to get to the Amatola mountains,” said Trent.
“We are still safe in the village but they’re struggling to get the fire under control because the wind carries on blowing from all directions,” he said.
“Hopefully they get it under control before the sun goes down or else we’ll be in real trouble,” said Trent.
Upper Cathcart cattle farmer Chris Purdon said all farmers in the area rallied together after 2am yesterday.
Speaking against a cacophony of engines the background, he said: “It is still burning. It is really bad out here. About 10000 hectares at the bare minimum have been completely destroyed.
“We can’t say for sure how many animals have been burnt but it is safe to say some farmers have lost livestock.
Purdon said about 15 farms had been affected but no lives had been lost.
“We have many hands on deck trying to help out but our dam is dry and we have to travel long distances to get water. The mood is very despondent amongst the farmers because the situation is really bad,” Purdon said.
Farmers fight raging fires: Thousands of hectares are destroyed as families brace to evacuate homes
Fire raged across thousands of hectares of farmland and forests around Amatola mountains as farmers were readying to evacuate their farmsteads yesterday.
Early and conservative estimates were that up 10000 hectares of grazing had been destroyed by at least two long walls of fire between Stutterheim, Cathcart and Hogsback.
One farmhouse, on Millerton, is believed to have been razed and livestock and farming infrastructure was also incinerated.
Scores of firefighters and farmers were fighting the fire on the ground, while a fleet of aircraft was in the air.
The inferno was fanned by a stiff 40km north-westerly wind.
The first blaze which started near Cata Peak on Wednesday was contained, but yesterday another blaze sprang up in the Upper Cathcart area, said Working for Fire and farmers.
As the sun sank, farmers in bakkies had evacuated their farms and were spoken to by a Saturday Dispatch team out on the R351.
Ravenshaw farmer Janine Cotterrell said the fire started close to the road to Hogsback at 1am yesterday.
“We have lost Millerton farmhouse. We have lost fences, water piping, three hay storage (structures), livestock and sheep.”
She said as many as 20 farms were damaged when the fire swept over a 40km area in Upper Cathcart.
“Two of our farming properties are burning. We have lost about 500 hectares.”
She said of the Upper Cathcart fire: “We suspect the human element. It started next to the road. There was no lightning or other (influences).”
Willie de Bruin, 72, of Weltevreden farm, watched in fear as the wind spread fire towards his farm. “We are just monitoring it,” he said.
John Rance, chairman of Rance Timber, said it was “huge” and stretched “for miles”.
“The fire did not reach our forests (plantations), luckily. But it started out on the Cathcart Road towards Hogsback.
“The guys have been fighting the fires and we were told that we are out harm’s way because thankfully the wind direction changed,” he said.
Working on Fire’s spokeswoman Nthabiseng Mokone said the blaze started in the Cata forest in the Amatola range on Wednesday and spread.
“The fires started in Cata forest but it spread to Hogsback and towards Cathcart.
“At the moment the fires are still spreading towards Stutterheim near Thomas River. We have four teams out trying to prevent the fires from spreading further. They battled for two days and managed to control it.
“But another fire sprang up this morning which they are trying to get under control as well,” she said.
Mokone said 72 firefighters working in teams were being assisted by two helicopters, one spotter plane and a plane which dropped water bombs.
Greater Stutterheim Fire Protection Association manager Pieter Rossouw said the fire had affected a “large bit of grazing land” out in the upper Cathcart area and Thomas River.
He said it started in the early hours of yesterday morning.
“It is a seriously big fire. When I got there some of the farmers were trying to douse the fire themselves. It is far away from the residential areas at this point, but one or two farmers may have had to evacuate their smallholdings.
“The upper Cathcart and Thomas River have been battling the most with the blaze,” he said.
“I can’t say for sure just how many kilometres it affected. It is quite rough out there.”
David Trent, manager of Thomas River Historical Village, said at 3pm: “We feel safe at the moment but every time the fire seems to die down the strong winds pick it up again.
“I think the fire started at around 4.30am this morning near Fort Beaufort where it started spreading eventually jumping a fire break to get to the Amatola mountains,” said Trent.
“We are still safe in the village but they’re struggling to get the fire under control because the wind carries on blowing from all directions,” he said.
“Hopefully they get it under control before the sun goes down or else we’ll be in real trouble,” said Trent.
Upper Cathcart cattle farmer Chris Purdon said all farmers in the area rallied together after 2am yesterday.
Speaking against a cacophony of engines the background, he said: “It is still burning. It is really bad out here. About 10000 hectares at the bare minimum have been completely destroyed.
“We can’t say for sure how many animals have been burnt but it is safe to say some farmers have lost livestock.
Purdon said about 15 farms had been affected but no lives had been lost.
“We have many hands on deck trying to help out but our dam is dry and we have to travel long distances to get water. The mood is very despondent amongst the farmers because the situation is really bad,” Purdon said.
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