A THICK pall of smoke hung over Grahamstown today as rampant fires continued to burn around the city.
Fire fighters from Makana, Ndlambe, Cacadu and the Grahamstown army base joined forces to combat the fires, which yesterday roared down into the Southwell and Belmont valleys a few kilometres South of Grahamstown.
Makana fire services chief William Welkom said the areas, deep in the kloofs on either side of the road between Port Alfred and Grahamstown, were largely inaccessible and could not be stopped.
Nearby, the residents of the beautiful Stone’s Hill hamlet that perches above the two burning valleys outside Grahamstown, began counting their blessings as well as the the cost of the massive fires that tore through their area yesterday evening.
Two homes and several outbuildings were razed.