NIEU-BETHESDA NEWS — Farms in the Sneeuberg mountains behind Nieu-Bethesda fell victim to veld fires that spread over many hectares of land between 'Highlands', 'Gordonville' and 'Bergplaas' from Monday last week.
Farmers and workers rallied together to deal with the fast-moving fires.
Swift action and careful decision making were the order of the day as a major disaster management operation fell into place. Thanks to the commitment from neighbouring farmers who arrived in numbers to assist those on the ground, the fires were eventually extinguished by Friday morning.
High winds and tinder-dry grass led to the fire (which allegedly started as a controlled burn), quickly gaining a life of its own and hurtling over the mountains onto the farms mentioned above.
It is frightening to witness how quickly this happens - as well as the huge area that these fires ravage.
Because the fires ended up in 3 different areas, farmers had to call in reinforcements as those residing on the farms were too thinly spread to cope with the extent of the danger.
While Easton North and his team dealt with the flames that threatened grazing and the old homestead on 'Highlands', Wayne Maspero and his helpers fought back flames that encroached on the guest cottages at 'Bergplaas'.
In the meantime the fire moved over the mountains above 'Request' which lies in the lowlands. David Stern and Justin Kingwill dealt effectively with the impending threat in the valleys and along with farm-owners had to make drastic decisions as whether to backburn to attempt to kill the line of flames with new fires. This is an extremely risky decision and not one to be taken lightly, as the wind direction can suddenly change and the new fires can start to burn unburned veld.
Stress levels ran high and eventually all those concerned gathered on 'Request' to discuss the way forward. About 20 farm bakkies all carrying equipment, water and staff waited for the go-ahead to backburn.
Fortune favoured the brave that hot, blustery afternoon as the wind suddenly changed to a cool steady southerly breeze and teams of men could then burn long lines of grassland from the roads. The newly lit fires burned towards the existing ones and created broad firebreaks, extinguishing the existing fires during the night.
Teamwork and community spirit triumphed over adversity last week in the rugged Sneeuberg hills.
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