Image copyright Working on Fire Image caption More than 400 firefighters have been battling the blaze 450 km (280 miles) east of Cape Town

At least seven people have been killed in a raging fire along South Africa's popular Garden Route in the Western Cape province, officials say.

A pregnant woman, two toddlers, and a baby are among the fatalities.

"The fire remains active on the slopes," Lauren Howard from Working on Fire said about their operation in the mountainous suburb in George city.

The Garden Route is a 300km (185 mile) scenic stretch of road popular with tourists.

It is not clear whether any foreign nationals have been affected by the fires.

George city officials say at least 200 residents have been moved to a hall and that three suburbs, housing more than 1,500 people, have been evacuated as a precaution.

"There will be food, a place to sleep and social services... the medical services are there to look at people who may be struggling to breathe. They will be referred to hospitals in the area," Brent-Styan from Western Cape Local Government Department said.

More than 400 firefighters have been battling the blaze 450 km (280 miles) east of Cape Town, which has so far burned over 16,600 hectares since last week.

A fire fighter pilot died last week after his helicopter went down in the Vermaaklikhei area along the Garden Route.

Working on Fire has been tweeting about its operations:

Skip Twitter post by @wo_fire Our Teams are currently active in George, Windmeulnek, Garcia Pass, Jonkersberg, Karatara, Grootvadersbos and Potberg.



Working on Fire Aerial Resources consisting of 2 Huey Helicopters, 2 fixed wing air tractor bombers & spotter plane, will be redeployed to attend to other fires pic.twitter.com/gu5WoPDdd2 — Working on Fire (@wo_fire) October 30, 2018 Report

The pregnant woman who was killed in the fire was eight months pregnant, Colin Deiner, head of Western Cape provincial disaster management services, told AFP news agency.

Image copyright Working On Fire Image caption Strong winds have been hampering operations to put out the fire

Students from one campus of the Nelson Mandela University, situated at the foot of the Outeniqua Mountains near George were also evacuated, local media reported.

Windy conditions are however complicating efforts to put out the fire which authorities blame on a heatwave sweeping across the Western Cape.

"The strong winds are our biggest problem at the moment and lightning is also causing more problems," Mr Deiner said.</s>At least seven people have been killed in a raging fire along South Africa’s popular Garden Route in the Western Cape province, officials say.

A pregnant woman, two toddlers, and a baby are among the fatalities.

“The fire remains active on the slopes,” Lauren Howard from Working on Fire said about their operation in the mountainous suburb in George city.

The Garden Route is a 300km (185 mile) scenic stretch of road popular with tourists.

It is not clear whether any foreign nationals have been affected by the fires.

George city officials say at least 200 residents have been moved to a hall and that three suburbs, housing more than 1,500 people, have been evacuated as a precaution.

“There will be food, a place to sleep and social services… the medical services are there to look at people who may be struggling to breathe. They will be referred to hospitals in the area,” Brent-Styan from Western Cape Local Government Department said.
• Why Cape Town’s trains are on fire

More than 400 firefighters have been battling the blaze 450 km (280 miles) east of Cape Town, which has so far burned over 16,600 hectares since last week.

A fire fighter pilot died last week after his helicopter went down in the Vermaaklikhei area along the Garden Route.

Working on Fire has been tweeting about its operations:

The pregnant woman who was killed in the fire was eight months pregnant, Colin Deiner, head of Western Cape provincial disaster management services, told AFP news agency.

Students from one campus of the Nelson Mandela University, situated at the foot of the Outeniqua Mountains near George were also evacuated, local media reported.

Windy conditions are however complicating efforts to put out the fire which authorities blame on a heatwave sweeping across the Western Cape.

“The strong winds are our biggest problem at the moment and lightning is also causing more problems,” Mr Deiner said. BBC</s>At least seven people have been killed in a raging fire along South Africa's popular Garden Route in the Western Cape province, officials say.A pregnant woman, two toddlers, and a baby are among the fatalities."The fire remains active on the slopes," Lauren Howard from Working on Fire said about their operation in the mountainous suburb.The Garden Route is a 300km (185 mile) scenic stretch of road popular with tourists.It is not clear whether any foreign nationals have been affected by the fires.George city officials say at least 200 residents have been moved to a hall and that three suburbs, housing"There will be food, a place to sleep and social services... the medical services are there to look at people who may be struggling to breathe. They will be referred to hospitals in the area," Brent-Styan from Western Cape Local Government Department said.A fire fighter pilot died last week after his helicopter went down in the Vermaaklikhei area along the Garden Route.The pregnant woman who was killed in the fire was eight months pregnant, Colin Deiner, head of Western Cape provincial disaster management services, told AFP news agency.Students from one campus of the Nelson Mandela University, situated at the foot of the Outeniqua Mountains near George were also evacuated, local media reported.Windy conditions are however complicating efforts to put out the fire which authorities blame on a heatwave sweeping across the Western Cape."The strong winds are our biggest problem at the moment and lightning is also causing more problems," Mr Deiner said.</s>Bushfires along The Garden Route in the Western Cape of South Africa have so far claimed eight lives and destroyed nearly 50,000 hectares of land, local authorities said Wednesday.

The Garden Route has been plagued by several bushfires since Oct. 24 when the first fire broke out in the Herold area, and the city of George 434 km (269 miles) east of Cape Town was forced to evacuate 200 residents.</s>At least seven people have died in a raging fire in a rural community along the popular Garden Route in southern South Africa.

Western Cape Provincial Disaster Management Services announced on Monday that a baby and an eight-month-old pregnant woman were among the victims. .

Member of the Western Cape Local Government and Environmental Affairs Executive Council, Anton Bredel, said their present priority is to save lives and protect property.

Yesterday we stood at roundabout 16,600 hectares that we've lost. Today we had 48,000 hectares. So currently our first priority is to protect the public and our firemen and fire women working on the lines.

“Yesterday we stood at roundabout 16,600 hectares that we’ve lost. Today we had 48,000 hectares. So currently our first priority is to protect the public and our firemen and fire women working on the lines.We’ve looked at the Eskom lines so that we can have electricity and energy in our towns of Knysna, Oudtshoorn and George. So the teams are doing quite well. We have unfortunately lost eight lives, that’s very sad, because it’s still our first priority to save lives and to protect our infrastructure.”

Firefighters continued fighting the bonfire 450 km east of Cape Town. The raging fire that began last week has burned 16,600 hectares and led to the evacuation of three suburbs, where about 1,500 people lived.</s>The fatalities resulting from the devastating inferno were reported on Monday evening by the Garden Route District Municipality.</s>GEORGE - The danger is not over in the Garden Route, where a major wildfire has been burning for the past week.

Cooler weather and a drop in wind speeds are providing some respite for firefighters.

The hundreds of people evacuated have been able to return to their homes while those who lost their homes are staying in temporary accommodation.

Western Cape Economic Opportunities MEC Alan Winde says it’s good to see things in the Garden Route returning to normal.

Firefighters are currently busy with mopping up operations, however, De Vlugt remains a major area of concern.

For now, no properties or people are in danger.

But Winde says this doesn’t mean all is fine.

“I remember in the last fire we had here, which was a year ago, everybody relaxed and the next thing the wind came up. There’s a high risk now in the system, and we must understand that this is the fire season, it’s high risk in this area and across the province.”

He adds it's too soon to quantify the damages caused by the fire or whether it should be declared a disaster.</s>CAPE TOWN - More evacuations may be ordered along the Garden Route.

Fires have ripped through parts of the region.

A blaze in the Outeniqua Mountains above George led to mass evacuations this week.

At the same time, the Environmental Affairs Department says alien invasive species need to be better controlled to prevent the major spread of wildfires.

A wildfire in the Garden Route has destroyed 48,000 hectares of vegetation; firefighters have been battling to contain the fire for the past week.

Eight people have been killed in the blaze while hundreds have been evacuated from their homes as the fire has spread.

The department’s Guy Preston said: “So this is one of the worst invaded areas in our country. People do need to take control of these situations, and protect their properties.”</s>7 die as blazes erupt across the Garden Route

Makhanda moves to keep valuables from the path of the fire

Seven people, including a baby and two toddlers died in the blazes sweeping through areas of Wilderness around George. Emergency services reported the toll rose from four to seven on Monday night. It was initially reported that four people died in the wildfires. All seven deaths have been in the Karatara area.</s>CHICO >> The Chinese symbol of balance and harmony is the first thing one sees when entering the Humboldt Community Garden. Planted in a traditional Yin Yang design is the Chico Horticulture Society”s herb garden, with a mix of 26 medicinal and culinary herbs “free for the pickin”,” by anyone who has a plot within the garden”s gates.

The year-round Yin Yang garden is maintained by nine horticulture society members who rotate once a week. It measures approximately 25-by-60 feet, and boasts perennials like oregano, yarrow, echinacea, sweet bay laurel, thymes and valerian to name a few. This year they added a few annuals like basil and seeded cilantro.

This is the herb garden”s third summer season.

Butte Environmental Council President Mark Stemen emphasized the Yin Yang garden reinforces the community garden concept. “Our vision is to show people how to garden. The herb garden is perfect because everyone doesn”t need to grow their own.

“In fact,” added Stemen “the more we use, the better it gets. So we”re encouraged to trim and take herbs.”

Chico Horticulture”s involvement began two years ago when member Tina Lando approached then-President Jennifer Jewell about an idea for a plot within the newly created garden. At the time, Lando was taking a Chico State University sustainability class from Stemen, a professor of environment studies.

The class had researched, planned, and designed Chico”s first community garden on Humboldt Road.

“I loved the idea, and was willing to help in any way,” said Jewell.

After club approval, Lando, Stemen and Jewell worked together to get the soil ready, move compost and hack down weeds.

Jewell”s expertise guided the project. “She knows the plants, she decided what to plant, ordered them and I dug the holes,” said Lando.

“Originally Tina and Jennifer wanted to give us a rose garden,” remembered Stemen. “But there is a rule that plots have to be edible.”

So they went back to the drawing board and came up with a mix of herbs placed in a Yin Yang design, with a path down the middle.

“We wanted plants that would survive here – sort of Mediterranean adapted,” said Jewell. “We didn”t want anything that was so aggressive or gets too big.”

The Society likes feedback on which herbs are being picked and how they are being used, and occasionally experiment with herbs from other gardeners. “Most people are excited about the herbs they don”t know about, like chocolate flower,” said Jewell.

This spring, with help from fellow gardener Steve Handy, Lando put in a timed drip irrigation system.

Jewell acknowledged that the Yin Yang garden is a departure from the club”s other two public gardens, at the Veterans Memorial in City Plaza and at the Chico Museum. “It is a little more fundamental and more sustainable, and a lot of people in the club like that.

“One of the things we wanted to move away from,” added Jewell, “was maintenance. Our focus was perennial, sustainability and climate-adapted plants.”

Jewell stressed the garden club”s mission is to educate. She thinks that the Yin Yang project represents a younger demographic and a new generation which many longtime members appreciate.

Stemen called the herb garden “one of the best donations” to the community garden. “It was their gift to the community garden, and it is there for everyone to use.”

The Humboldt Community Garden has 55 plots for lease. Growers include individual gardeners and other nonprofits like ARC and the Veterans Administration.

This school year Stemen”s Chico State sustainability class designed and built Oak Way, Chico”s second community garden.

Oak Way is designed to serve individuals with mobility challenges. Its wider walkways and meandering paths provide greater accessibility for wheelchairs and the elderly. Stemen is excited to have Northern California Independent Living Services put in a plot this summer.

At both community gardens, Stemen stresses how accessibility and cultural diversity build community, and add flavor to everyone”s gardening experience.

He believes the Yin Yang herb garden is a metaphor for community, “The more you trim, the fuller it gets, and the more we use community, the better it gets.”
A fire along South Africa's Garden Route in the Cape Province, kills at least seven people.