Vermaaklikheid fires continue to flare up

Update

HESSEQUA NEWS - Fires in Vermaaklikheid on the Duiwenhoks River are stubbornly persisting to flare up today, despite a statement issued by the incident command team last night that the blaze was 100% contained. Firefighters are battling the south east fire line that has flared up on the property of Koos Malan in Blombos Road.

A Working on Fire (WoF) Huey helicopter, two bombers and a spotter aircraft have been deployed to assist ground crews in extinguishing this flare up.

According to the Garden Route District Municipality (GRDM) other resources will be mopping up the north east fire line. A bulldozer is being used to cut a fire break around some homes in Vermaaklikheid.

The weather forecast for Vermaaklikheid today is a maximum of 24°C with a predominant South Westerly wind of 25km/h.

Firefighting equipment and personnel of GRDM, WoF, Mossel Bay fire, Hessequa Fire, Southern Cape Fire Protection association and local landowners have been deployed.

The extra planes and choppers that arrived yesterday had great success fighting the blaze and although another house was gutted bringing the total properties lost to nine, great inroads were made in curbing the fire. The fire also led to the death of legendary chopper pilot, Nico Heyns, when his chopper crashed to the ground on Tuesday. The cause of the accident is unknown at this stage.

Yesterday morning a South African Air Force Oryx helicopter, one spotter plane, two bomber planes, 97 Working on Fire (WoF) ground crew members, 30 professional firefighters, four Southern Cape Fire Protection Association senior members and 10 Goukou Farm watch members were battling the blaze that started on Sunday - possibly by a spark from an electric pole.

Death of a legend
Heyns died when his WoF Huey chopper crashed to the ground at 09:45 on Tuesday morning. According to an eyewitness, Jan Jacobs, Heyns had just turned the chopper around to refill the Bambi bucket after water-bombing a fire at Oshoek, when it looked as though the front rotor came unstuck. The chopper fell and Heyns died on the scene.

His good friend, chopper pilot Kobus Crous of Mossel Bay Helicopters, was fighting the same fire from the sky and also believes the crash was due to a technical problem. He said Heyns was a very careful pilot who never took chances.

Kishugu Aviation, who is contracted to do aerial firefighting for WoF, said the cause of the accident is unknown and that the SA Civil Aviation Authority is investigating the accident.

A good friend, chopper pilot Kobus Crous of Mossel Bay Helicopters, was fighting the same fire from the sky and also believes the crash was due to a technical problem.

The new normal
Clive Africa, director of disaster management at Garden Route District Municipality said fires such as the one at Vermaaklikheid is our new normal. "Especially the Hessequa area is very susceptible to wild fires. The area has lots of natural fuel and residents will have to invest in fire breaks and other preventative measures."

The Hessequa Municipality under the leadership of Mayor Grant Riddles has made great strides in establishing its own fire services in the area. Riddles is also expecting the delivery of a brand new 4x4 fire engine in November to further reinforce their current firefighting vehicles.

By yesterday noon, 5000 hectare of sustainable harvest Fynbos and wildlife grazing had been lost and significant damage to fences and other infrastructure were recorded.

The command team thanked the political and operational arms of the Eden and Overberg District Municipalities; Hessequa, George and Mosselbay Local Authorities and the Provincial and National Disaster Management centres.

"A special note of thanks to the Enviro Wildfire Services under the leadership of Rob Erasmus. Their selfless service and dedication saved several structures the past two days."

The fire has left the area charred. Photo: Mossel Bay Helicopters