Pretoria - The City of Cape Town’s Fire and Rescue Service, along with various other agencies, continues to actively manage a fire in the South Peninsula.
The fire fighters worked throughout the night to contain the fire in Constantia Berg, Tokai and Tierbos Kloof as well as the upper reaches of Tokai Forest, Muizenberg, Clovelly and Noordhoek.
The City of Cape Town said the hot and dry weather and the wind picking up contributed significantly to the flare up.
It hoped that the light rain forecast over the region on Wednesday will bring some relief.
“It has been an incredibly hot and challenging day for fire crews, but they have done an exceptional job under the circumstances and will remain on the frontlines for as long as it takes to suppress this fire,” said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security, Alderman Smith.
He appealed to onlookers and passers-by to “please steer clear of the hotspot areas, both to ensure that there is no interference with the job that fire crews are trying to do and also for their own safety”.
While the fire is still burning, the City also requests that residents in the South Peninsula - who are not impacted by the approaching fires - keep their water consumption for essential needs only.
This, the City says, will allow the reservoirs serving these areas to maintain manageable operating levels.
This will ensure the effective supply of water to emergency services teams.
The fires in the Cape, which started on Sunday night, have destroyed more than 4 000 hectares of vegetation so far.
The City’s Fire and Rescue Service, Disaster Risk Management and Environmental Resource Management staff and volunteers, along with Table Mountain National Park, Working On Fire volunteers, Wild Land Fire Services and Volunteer Wildfire Services are involved in the fire fighting effort.
The City of Cape Town has also called up all off-duty personnel and fire fighters from the Free State and Eastern Cape to assist.
One fire fighter sustained burn wounds and is in hospital; 52 frail-care residents of a Noordhoek retirement village were treated for smoke inhalation.
According to the City, eight homes have been damaged along Silvermine Road in Noordhoek and at least 30 households were evacuated in Noordhoek, as well as residents of the San Michelle Old-Age Home and the Noordhoek Manor Retirement Village.
In total, 13 homes have been damaged by the fires since they started.
There is currently three mass care centres accommodating those who have been displaced.
Members of the public in affected areas are advised to hose down thatched roofs, keep all windows closed and to call the City of Cape Town’s 107 Public Emergency Call Centre in the event of an emergency.
They can dial 107 from a landline and 021 480 7700 from a cellphone. – SAnews.gov.za
