PLETTENBERG BAY NEWS - Residents have watched with concern clouds of smoke and flames visible from the town over the past week, but authorities have laid fears to rest saying that the fire was burning outside of the Bitou boundaries and held no danger to any infrastructure or life.
The fire started in what is known as the Soetkraal area following several lightning strikes in the mountains last week.
Experts believe the vegetation that burned was more than a decade's worth of growth and would benefit from burn.
Because the area is near impossible to access on the ground, it was first monitored very closely from the air and ground before intervention was considered. Over the past few days, several "bombers" were deployed to douse the flames.
Among those who intervened were members of the Southern Cape Fire Protection Association including fire management units, the Working on Fire (WoF) teams, SANParks and local fire and rescue services.
Where there's smoke, there's a fire - but the Soetkraal fire outside of Bitou was no threat.
General manager for the Garden Route National Park Vuyisa Thabethe said by Sunday all aerial resources and personnel had returned to base.
"No infrastructure was lost and all are safe," Thabethe said.
Despite the clouds of smoke, the Soetkraal fire was no threat to infrastructure or lives.
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