A week of flame and rain

It’s been a week of flame and rain.

- JENNIE RIDYARD

I've been in the Western Cape in my little village and here all we knew was heat and smoke.

A fire raged on the other side of the mountain, a fire raged in Franschhoek, a fire raged in Mossel Bay, a fire raged along the N1, a fire raged at Stormsvlei and the sun was a blazing, relentless ball in the sky.

Then, another fire started far closer to home to our left, and another behind us, and we shut the windows against the smoke, the air heavy with the smell of burning, the mountains disappearing in the plumes. The cellphone service was destroyed by flames.