UPDATE: Smouldering remnants of Heidevallei fire tackled

Update

KNYSNA NEWS - While the cause of the fire remains undetermined, crews from the Knysna Fire and Rescue Department have spent their day today tackling the smouldering remnants of the fire that burnt in Heidevallei yesterday afternoon (9 July).

The fire is believed to have started around midday on Thursday 9 July with fire crews arriving on the scene at roughly 13:00.

They spent the subsequent afternoon fighting the blaze with no help from the elements with warm air around and wind only blowing the fire further up the hill towards Old Toll Road and the municipal garden refuse site.

Their efforts to fight the fire were not in vain, and by 18:40 they had brought the fire under control and the perimeter was declared safe. It was around this time that they finally received some reprieve and help from the skies above as light rain began to fall and help douse the remaining flames.

As the rain began to fall, cries of "Dankie Here" (Thank you Lord) could be heard from a few firefighters. The mop up of the fire continued well through the night with crews finally leaving the scene at about 02:30 on 10 July.

A Knysna fireman looks on at a small portion of yesterday’s fire. Photos: Blake Linder

The fire department then returned to the area today to put out the smouldering remnants of the fire. On both days conditions underfoot were not kind to the firefighters as vehicles consistently got stuck in mud and had to find alternative routes up the hill or be towed out.

No injuries have been reported from the fire, and while the fire department did have record of three structures sustaining fire-related damage in Knysna on 9 July, at the time of writing Knysna Municipality’s communications department was unable to confirm whether these were a result of the Heidevallei fire.

A vehicle from the Knysna Fire & Rescue Department had to be towed out today after getting stuck while dousing the smouldering remains of the fire.