The City of Cape Town’s Fire and Rescue Services says they have successfully contained two wildfires in Simon’s Town and Glencairn but have had little to respite as numerous new fire incidents have been reported in the past 24 hours.
Spokesperson for Fire and Rescue, Jermaine Carelse, says the fires are compounded by the very strong winds.
“Yesterday afternoon, fire crews responded to a vegetation fire along the R27 near Melkbosstrand. There were also numerous structural fires, including Seawinds, Philippi and Wallacedene. Currently, firefighters are dealing with a vegetation fire on the M5, between Ottery and Kenilworth. Given the prevailing weather conditions and the associated risks, the Chief Fire Officer has put out a call that all available off duty staff should report to their Fire Stations.”
Warnings of flare-ups in Simon’s Town fire
Meanwhile, the Prince George Drive near the Youngsfield Military Base in Wetton in Cape Town has been closed due to smoke from a large vegetation fire.
Firefighters are battling to contain this fire as it is fanned by a strong South-Easterly wind. A spotter plane has been circling the area, with two helicopters being used for water-bombing the flames.
