Firefighters tackle hotspots in Pearly Beach wildfire on Day 4
Pearly Beach wildfire burns for a fourth day as crews focus on containing active fire lines in mountainous and rural areas.
Image: Overstrand Municipality/ Facebook
Firefighters continued battling the Pearly Beach wildfire on Wednesday as the blaze entered its fourth day, with authorities confirming that several active fire lines remain a concern but containment efforts are holding in key areas.
Overstrand Executive Mayor Archie Klaas and Municipal Manager, Dean O’Neill joined Overstrand Fire Chief Lester Smith at the Incident Command Centre on Wednesday morning to welcome Western Cape Premier Alan Winde and Provincial Minister of Local Government Anton Bredell for an operational briefing on the ongoing emergency.
Providing the Day 4 update, Assistant Fire Chief for Operations and Training Angelo Aplon said approximately 200 people are actively involved in firefighting operations, supported by aerial resources.
The response includes firefighters from Overstrand Municipality and Overberg District Municipality, teams from CapeNature and NCC, Volunteer Wildfire Services (VWS), Enviro Consultants working free of charge, and local landowners assisting with suppression efforts. Municipal traffic and law enforcement officers, as well as the Animal Welfare Society of South Africa, are also supporting operations.
Heatmap shows intense fire activity above Pearly Beach on Day 4 of the wildfire, with hotspots concentrated in mountainous and rural areas.
Image: Overstrand Municipality/ Facebook
Fire activity remains divided across several operational areas. At the back of Duinefontein Pub on CapeNature property, firebreaks are holding, with one creeping fire line contained within a defined block. Crews are actively working to close off the block affecting the Pearly Beach Sewage Works, Eluxolweni and surrounding residential areas.
Behind the Pearly Beach Resort, firefighters are focusing on an active fire line that remains an area of concern, while above Klein Paradys the situation is described as the primary risk area, with ongoing firefighting in mountainous and rural terrain.
Roads, including the R43 between Gansbaai and Pearly Beach, remain open but may be closed intermittently if conditions change. Traffic officials are stationed along the route to divert motorists if necessary. Electricity supply to Pearly Beach was briefly interrupted to replant a pole and replace a transformer damaged on the farms’ side.
Mayor Klaas issued a stern warning to landowners, stressing that directives relating to firebreaks must be complied with. Affected property owners are urged to engage with the Overstrand Fire Department and the Greater Overberg Fire Protection Association to ensure that all required firebreaks are in place.
VWS confirmed its crews continue to play a critical role. Skid and hand crews were deployed on Monday evening, returning home only at 8:35am on Wednesday after working through the night. While one crew stood down, another was redeployed from 5am to continue suppression efforts.
Authorities reminded residents that, if given only minutes to evacuate, priority should be given to medication, important documents, phones and chargers, essential electronics, keys, prescription glasses, wallets, clothing and pet supplies.
Firefighting teams remain on high alert as conditions continue to be closely monitored.
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