Firefighters battle blaze in Paarl, Western Cape on Tuesday. Image courtesy of Sullivan Photography.
CAPE TOWN - Wildfires continued to flare up in Paarl, Western Cape on Tuesday.
Firefighters have been trying to contain the blaze since 11pm on Monday.
Paarl's Incident Command Post spokesperson Justin Lawrence said some structural damage has so far been recorded.
"The fire started just before midnight at the Du Toit's cliff mountain. The fire is growing by the hour because of the strong winds," Lawrence said.
Several people used social media to post pictures of the smoke bellowing above the region.
View towards Franschhoek_SA #fire #smoke from #paarl wo_fire WesternCapeGov pic.twitter.com/ysw82rHnIj #FreeMLM
— Aquaza @MyFreeMLM (@Eco_disinfect) January 10, 2017
Last month, the Western Cape government launched its fire season awareness programme. Hot and dry conditions are a major cause of wildfires.
View from Bellevue str @paarltourism of #fire on Du Toits mountains. #paarl @WesternCapeGov @wo_fire pic.twitter.com/ZdT2v5kwcr
— Erika Cronje-Joubert (@ErikaJoubert1) January 10, 2017
Arson is frequently the cause of these blazes.
Several fires have broken out in the Helderberg area recently. The first was reported last week and officials estimate the damage at nearly R60-million.
The City of Cape Town says investigators are trying to identify the cause.
