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- The iconic Blaauwklippen Manor House was gutted by a blaze on Sunday morning.
- The fire broke out at a neighbouring farm, resulting in the devastating destruction of some of the estate's buildings.
- Strong gale-force winds in the Western Cape are said to have fuelled the blaze.
Blaauwklippen Manor House, which is built on one of the oldest wine farms in Stellenbosch, was gutted by a blaze on Sunday morning.
The fire was fuelled by the relentlessly strong gale-force winds in the Western Cape.
According to Blaauwklippen management, the fire broke out at a neighbouring farm in the early hours of Sunday morning, resulting in the devastating destruction of some of the Blaauwklippen Estate's iconic buildings.
"The fire spread to the Manor House from the dam's side, then to the Jonkershuis and eventually to the Cathedral. All three buildings have burned to the ground," Blaauwklippen management said in a statement.
They added that six firefighting teams, including Blaauwklippen's Disaster Management team, together with those from neighbouring farms, were on the scene within minutes to attend to the fire, one of five in the area.
READ | Firefighters battle Stellenbosch fire, two other blazes contained as strong winds persist
"It's a sad day indeed for Blaauwklippen as heritage landmarks have been destroyed in the terrible blaze, but the sadness is made easier to bear by the gratitude that no lives were lost and we acknowledge the swift evacuation and heroic efforts of our personnel - Stefan, Chrisma and their teams, who ensured that no one was injured," the statement continued.
The Cape Winelands District Municipality fire teams were among the crews that assisted the Stellenbosch Municipality, to help put out the fire.
According to CWDM spokesperson, Anesca Roodt, they dispatched three firefighting trucks with a crew to the scene.
Blaauwklippen is one of Stellenbosch’s oldest wine farms and dates back to 1682, the Jonkershuis was built in 1720, the Manor House in 1789 with the latest addition being the popular wedding venue, the Cathedral built in 2018.
