While the wildfire in Somerset West has been contained‚ locals are tallying its cost, especially on animals. Many residents scrambled to evacuate dogs‚ cats‚ horses‚ cows‚ ducks‚ and chickens. Rescue workers found an injured young springbok. In some cases there was little time to transport the animals. Lou Purcell‚ who owns an animal feed company‚ had to chase 50 traumatised sheep down the street on Tuesday night. She said that although most of the sheep were retrieved, some were still missing. Two cows‚ which had been transported to a property nearby‚ were found roaming in the Sir Lowry’s Pass Village. A house belonging to one of her employees was burnt to the ground. "He lost everything, but the community have already rallied around to get him back on his feet. He’s already been offered a house and there’s all sorts of donations coming through which is amazing‚" said Purcell.
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