Firefighters still struggling with Western Cape fires

Firefighters are hoping calm conditions will give them the upper hand as they battle blazes threatening large areas of the Overberg region of the Western Cape. Fires burning for the last four days have caused extensive damage, but have been contained. Chief fire officer for the Overberg municipality, Reinhard Geldenhuys, said that no towns are under threat at the moment, but the fire is still burning at several points across a front of about 80 kilometres. Geldenhuys says three ground crews are working hard to fully extinguish the fire before the wind picks up this afternoon as forecast. The coastal road between Gans Bay and Hermanus has been reopened.