What started as a peaceful morning hike in the Silvermine Nature Reserve on Sunday, 27 April, turned into a terrifying ordeal for a group of hikers trapped by a fast-moving wildfire.
The fire, which had started in Tokai a few days earlier, was fanned by strong winds and swept across the mountainside with terrifying speed – cutting off escape routes and leaving hikers scrambling for safety.
Friends Doryce Sher, Daphne Miller and Jonathan Broll were part of a bigger group of hikers but got separated from the larger group at one point. “We were walking back toward the Silvermine Dam after spotting smoke near the direction of Elephant’s Eye,” explains Doryce.
Initially, the group noticed the sun glowing red behind the haze of smoke. “At 10:43 we were taking photos of the surreal sky, unaware of what was to unfold,” she recalls. “Three minutes later, flames appeared on the ridge. And, within twenty seconds, fire jumped over the path. We had to run – there was no time to think.”
Chaos erupted as flames surrounded them. Other hikers joined in the desperate run down the jeep track, joined quickly by nature rangers and firefighting teams who were brought to the site. “Fires were sprouting around us – on both sides. It was spreading so fast, it was surreal.”
Their goal was to reach the safety of the dam. “We spotted a toilet building, and I remember thinking, ‘Thank God – we’re close to the dam.’” They made it to the dam wall just after 11:00 a.m., with flames dangerously close. “The fire was so close that we got singed crossing over,” Daphne explains.
The group eventually took refuge below the dam wall, their feet in the water, shielding their faces from choking smoke as fire raged on all three sides of the dam. “We were told to take off our shirts and dip them in the water to help keep the heat away,” says Daphne. “We were stranded there for over 40 minutes – no cellphone signal, just thick smoke and the sound of burning trees. We really thought this was how it would end.”
In the midst of the crisis, hope arrived in the form of two nature rangers – true heroes of the day. One stayed with the group, maintaining contact with emergency services via radio. The other, stationed near the ‘beach’ side of the dam in a bakkie, kept watch as flames burned dangerously close.
“When the fire finally began to die down, the ranger in the bakkie went to check if the entrance was clear. He came back and fetched us,” Daphne recounts. “We all climbed into the back of the bakkie and drove through the parking lot. That’s when Doryce saw her car…completely burned out! It was devastating.”
They were driven to the entrance of the park, where police were waiting – along with Brian, a member of their hiking group, who had feared the worst. The rest of the hiking group, who had exited earlier by car, had been frantically trying to contact those who were unaccounted for. “They were distraught. No one knew where we were, and the fire had cut off communication.”
In the end, the hikers escaped – but were left deeply shaken. Cars may have been lost, but their lives were spared. And for that, they are overwhelmingly grateful.
Daphne recalls that, not long before the day of the hike, she had marvelled at the admiration her 3-year-old grandson had expressed for people like firemen and policemen. “So often, small children look at these people as heroes, but as adults we tend to be sceptical. Little did I realise that I would have the opportunity to view them as heroes too. These people saved our lives during the fire – and at great risk to themselves. We owe everything to them.”
Doryce adds quietly, “All in all, I’m just grateful to be here to tell you the story. It’s not yet my time.” ●
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