- Evacuated Pringle Bay residents can return to their homes.
- City leaders said the evacuation was a precautionary measure.
- According to residents, they were taken to Kleinmond Town Hall around 2 p.m.
Residents who were evacuated early Tuesday afternoon due to safety concerns were able to return to the small coastal town of Pringle Bay as fires raged in parts of the Western Cape.
“The most important thing is that the evacuation for Pringle Bay has been lifted, which means people can return to their homes, but they must remain vigilant,” Overstrand Mayor Annelie Lavie said Tuesday night. he said.
Raby added that winds are unpredictable and fires could continue to burn in the area for another two days.
News24 reported that firefighters were on high alert as they battled the Hangclip fire. Thick smoke covered the small town.
Lavie said firefighters are currently responding to four lines of fire.
Earlier in the day, City Administrator Dean O'Neill told News24 the fire was moving closer to the home and the move to relocate residents was a precautionary measure.
“Our first fight is to move the fire away from homes, but for safety we have relocated residents to Kleinmond Town Hall.
“Some people have made their own arrangements with family and friends. City Hall is for residents who have nowhere else to go,” he said.
Resident Marnus Hattingh told News24 they were moved around 2 p.m.
He said the fire's spread was not surprising as he had witnessed a small fire while running around 9 a.m. The fire brigade initially said the infection was under control, but strong winds later spread the virus and forced evacuations.
Pringle Bay residents have been evacuated as the fire spread.
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“The first helicopter arrived at 9 a.m. with water bombs. After 4 or 5 o'clock it changed direction and flew towards the Pringle side. Then all of a sudden the small fire started getting bigger and bigger,” he said. .
“They should have bombed that blaze either this afternoon or this morning. We have tall trees and tall bushes that have never burned before. So as soon as the wind changed, it caught fire.”
He added that the thick black smoke caused panic.
“As I evacuated, there were some bakkies with fire hoses and lights on coming charging towards Pringle Bay. I saw lots of cars and heard jeers,” he said.
Firefighters have spent the past two weeks doing their best to extinguish blazes across the state that have been fanned by strong winds.
