Historic Roggeland farmstead damaged in ongoing wildfire crisis

ANOTHER piece of Western Cape heritage has been damaged as an unrelenting wildfire season continues to keep firefighters across the Cape Winelands under intense pressure.

A runaway veld fire destroyed part of the historic Roggeland farmstead near Paarl at the weekend, adding to a growing list of properties and landscapes affected by fires in recent days following the major blaze that threatened Chamonix last Sunday.

Fire crews were called to a fast-spreading grass fire along Bodal Road, where flames quickly jumped to Roggeland, one of the oldest farmsteads in the Dal Josaphat Valley. By the time firefighters arrived, the first historic thatched house was already alight, with two more structures directly in the fire’s path.

Despite an immediate full deployment, the damage could not be fully prevented.

“The first thatch house was already too badly affected and could not be saved,” said DFW Fire & Rescue NPC. “We are, however, grateful that we could save the second house. History should be saved.”

Firefighters from DFW Fire & Rescue NPC and Paarl Fire Services battled the blaze using multiple pumpers and tankers, including a specialised compressed air foam system (CAFS) unit. Thick layers of protective foam were applied to the remaining thatched structure as embers were driven by strong winds across the property.

Two major pumpers, an Iveco CAFS unit and a 700-litre cruiser were involved in the operation. No injuries were reported.

DFW Fire & Rescue NPC said a case would be opened against those allegedly responsible for starting the nearby grass fire.

Roggeland, listed in heritage inventories for the Drakenstein area, dates back to the late 17th century and forms part of the historically significant Dal Josaphat Valley. Its thatched buildings are regarded as classic examples of Cape Dutch rural architecture, making the loss of one structure an irreversible blow to the region’s built heritage.

The Paarl fire is the latest in a series of incidents that have stretched firefighting resources across the Cape Winelands over several days.

In Franschhoek, crews continue to battle a large fire near La Motte. According to an update issued at 8:00am on Sunday by the Cape Winelands District Municipality (CWDM) Fire Services, good progress was made overnight, with cooler temperatures assisting containment efforts along the mountain slopes between La Motte and the Three Streams area.

“There has been no loss of, or damage to, property,” the municipality said, although vineyards were affected and the full extent of agricultural damage has not yet been determined. Fresh firefighting teams were deployed on Sunday morning as high temperatures were forecast to increase fire risk.

Earlier on Saturday, multiple structures were under threat as resources from CWDM, Stellenbosch Municipality, Volunteer Wildfire Services, contracted ground teams and aerial units focused on structure protection.

In a statement, La Motte Wine Estate confirmed that its operations were not affected by the fire.

“Although we had some fires high in the Wemmershoek mountain on the estate, yesterday’s fire was predominantly in the bigger La Motte area and not with us on the estate,” the estate said.

“We are therefore very grateful to say that we are open for business as usual. Our thoughts go out to our neighbours who suffered extensive damage.”

The recent incidents follow the wildfire last weekend that threatened Chamonix Wine Estate, part of a broader wave of fires across the district. Amid growing speculation on social media that the fire was the result of arson, SAPS spokesperson Constable Ndakhe Gwala said no such case was under investigation.

Authorities have warned that persistent heat, dry conditions and strong winds continue to create extreme fire danger conditions, urging residents to remain vigilant as firefighters remain stretched across multiple fronts.

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Cape Argus