No flare-ups along Garden Route as firefighters continue mopping up

Fires along the Garden Route had not flared up by Sunday afternoon as firefighters in the Southern Cape continued mopping up, according to a statement.

In Diepwalle, two spots were smoldering in an indigenous forest but were contained, the Garden Route District Municipality's joint operations centre (JOC) said.

Fire lines were well-contained in Waboomskraal. Cape Nature was patrolling the area and would monitor throughout the evening. 

In Spitskop/Dubbelberg, there was a smoldering area in a south-western direction. The JOC said that aerial bombing had been delayed due to poor visibility.

Mopping-up operations were finalised on the east side of the Outeniqua pass and would be monitored, while mopping-up would continue throughout the evening in Jonkersberg.

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A fire in the farming community Farleigh claimed eight lives. Working on Fire pilot Nico Heyns, 65, was killed, when his helicopter went down during firefighting efforts near Riversdale.

The scar of the fires, which started around a month ago, is four times the size of the 2017 Knysna/Bitou fires.