Makana Municipality Fire Chief William Welkom says the fires on both the west and east of Grahamstown have abated.
"The fire south-west of Grahamstown seems to be out at the moment," Welkom said around midday on Tuesday 28 June.
Makana fire fighters have been monitoring the area day and night.
Makana Municipality Fire Chief William Welkom says the fires on both the west and east of Grahamstown have abated.
"The fire south-west of Grahamstown seems to be out at the moment," Welkom said around midday on Tuesday 28 June.
Makana fire fighters have been monitoring the area day and night.
"It swept across the bottomom end of Rivendell and was far from the houses. But there are trees in the area and we were taking no chances, so we contained the fire at some distance from them.
"The relief crew that went out this morning returned saying the fire was under control."
People living in the area expressed hope yesterday that the drizzle would help extinguish the fire which has been burning since Thursday.
The fire that started around 3.45pm on Thursday on the west side of the N2 and went in the direction of Stone Crescent and the Highlands road on Saturday was burning on top of the mountain above Aucklands.
"But we extinguished a whole section on the N2 side of the poort."
On Saturday afternoon a section that had been under control flared up again on the Highlands road.
For the first time this was a section the Makana fire teams were able to reach and they extinguished it.
Makana Fire and Rescue Services monitored both the Highlands road and the N2 sides of the fire – particularly keeping an eye on the Aucklands homestead and the Banfield home at the start of the Highlands road..
For a long time it burnt mostly in areas they couldn't reach, and their main priority was to protect property and lives.
The other challenge is that the wind keeps changing direction.
"On Thursday at 10pm I was quite satisfied that the fire was under control," said Welkom. "There was one section in the kloof that we tried to bush-beat, but it flared up again and the wind took it up the mountain.”
The fire west of Grahamstown jumped the N2 around 1pm Sunday 26 June. It burnt along the west side of Rivendell which was damaged in fire two weeks ago.
There was concern on Monday afternoon when the fire was within an hour and a half from Thomas Baines reserve.
The army fire unit was called in to assist. As well as Sarah Baartman District Municipality.
Teams worked throughout the night.
Three fires simultaneously on the north-eastern commonage behind Makana Brick broke out and were extinguished on Sunday 26 June.
The fire team had to be broken up and some members diverted to attend to that fire.
After days of fighting the fire on the south-western commonage and farms, then three more days west of Grahamstown, Eastern Cape between the N2 and Highlands road this week, on Sunday 26 June Makana Fire and Rescue were again in action – this time controlling two fires in a similar location, near Makana Brick East of #Grahamstown – but at least two kilometres apart.
