- The iconic Blauchrippen Manor House was gutted by fire on Sunday morning.
- A fire broke out in a neighboring farm, resulting in the destruction of some of the buildings on your estate.
- Strong winds in the Western Cape are said to have fueled the fire.
Blaukrippen Manor House, built on one of Stellenbosch's oldest wine estates, was gutted in a fire on Sunday morning.
The fire was fueled by unrelenting winds in the Western Cape.
A fire broke out at a nearby farm early Sunday morning, destroying some of Blaukrippen Estate's iconic buildings, Blauklippen Estate management said.
Blaukrippen's management said in a statement: “The fire spread from the side of the dam to the manor house, then to Jonkershuis and finally to the cathedral. All three buildings were completely destroyed.” .
It added that six firefighting teams, including Blaukrippen's disaster management team, and teams from nearby farms arrived on the scene within minutes and responded to the fire.
Read | Firefighters put out Stellenbosch fire, two other fires put out as strong winds continue
“A truly sad day for Blaukrippen as the historic building was destroyed by a terrible fire, but we would like to express our gratitude that no lives were lost and thank the staff for their quick evacuation and heroic efforts. “This is heartwarming – Stefan and Chrisma and his team for making sure no one was hurt,” the statement continued.
The Cape Winelands District Municipality fire team also supported Stellenbosch Municipality and took part in the firefighting efforts.
CWDM spokeswoman Aneska Ruto said three fire trucks with crews were dispatched to the scene.
Blaukrippen is one of Stellenbosch's oldest wine estates, dating back to 1682. Jonkershuis was built in his 1720, the manor house in his 1789, and the most recent addition is the cathedral, a popular wedding venue, built in 2018.
