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- The City of Cape Town’s Fire and Rescue services have faced the mammoth task of battling more than 1000 fires in less than 10 days in the city, adding to the 1500 fires in the first two weeks of December.
- In addition to the significant fires in Simon’s Town and Glencairn, the Fire Service was summoned to address substantial vegetation fires in Melkbosstrand and Ottery. Numerous informal structural fires were also reported. Vegetation fires accounted for 65% of callouts.
- Amidst flare-ups and knee-deep hot ash on the mountain terrain, several animals, including pigs, tortoises, chickens, cats, and dogs, were collected for rehabilitation and treatment.
The City of Cape Town’s Fire and Rescue services have faced the mammoth task of battling more than 1000 fires in less than 10 days in the city, adding to the 1500 fires in the first two weeks of December.
They continue to monitor a Woodstock building fire 48 hours after the blaze due to the nature of the materials in one of the affected buildings, which is a recycling plant. This is one of 1014 fire incidents responded to between Monday 18 and Tuesday 26 December.
The situation was compounded by a persistent south-easterly wind, with two warnings issued by the South African Weather Service for damaging winds. Apart from the massive fires in Simon’s Town and Glencairn, the Fire Service was also called on to deal with large vegetation fires in Melkbosstrand and Ottery. There were also numerous informal structural fires. Vegetation fires comprise 65% of callouts.
Following the Simon's Town fire, The Animal Welfare Society of South Africa and Cape of Goodhope SPCA were among organisations combing the 450 hectares of terrain for surviving wildlife. Images of burnt tortoises, snakes, and lizards that succumbed to the fire have been widely shared on social media.
READ | Five injured as Simon's Town blaze continues to rage
“It’s heart-breaking to find the lifeless bodies of the animals that didn’t make it. It is a huge loss for this unique habitat, and our search and rescue efforts continue with urgency to find any surviving or injured animals. We won’t give up until we’re sure that no animal in need of help has been left behind,” says the SPCA’s Wildlife Cadet Inspector Bryan Arendse.
Amid flare-ups and knee-deep hot ash on the mountain terrain, several animals were collected for rehabilitation and treatment. In calling for donations and thanking those who already have contributed, AWS said: "On Christmas Eve our team made sure that we were able to assist any wildlife in need. We will continue to keep the team out daily to monitor the areas and hope we can save more lives." Among the rescues were pigs, tortoises, chickens, cats and dogs.
The City says human error contributes to the increase in fires. "We know that there is an increase in fires over the warmer months, but the scale of it over this festive season has simply been staggering. And, while the weather has been a contributing factor, we can’t lose sight of the fact that many fires do start as a result of human error or negligence," says Mayco member for safety and security JP Smith.
"Our staff has worked tirelessly – the firefighters, but also Disaster Risk Management and the enforcement services who provide support with road closures, crowd control, evacuations and more. I take my hat off to them because it has been one of the longest hauls in recent memory, and it is not over. I want to ask the public to please do their bit to ease the load, but not just in terms of fire safety. The more than 400 arrests in the last week have not gone unnoticed, nor have the incidents logged at our Public Emergency Communication Centre. Let’s all work together to ensure that what remains of the festive season is as safe as possible for all involved."
Locals are urged to practice caution when out in the city and at home. With holidays marking a time for braai and festivities, with the children also home for holidays, the Fire Protection Association of South Africa offers the following fire safety tips:
· Keep matches out of the reach of children.
· Do not overload electrical sockets or run electrical cords under carpets.
· Install smoke detectors in your home.
· Take care with portable heat-generating appliances such as irons, kettles, and heaters.
· Develop and practice an escape plan - plan two ways out of every bedroom.
· Never use flammable liquids for starting braai fires or to remove stains from clothing.
What to do if your home is on fire:
· Display your local Fire station number in a visible location and memorize it.
· Crawl low in smoke.
· Never open a door that is hot to the touch.
· Wake everybody in the house.
· If your clothing catches fire - Stop, Drop, and Roll.
· Have a safe place to meet out of the house.
· Never re-enter the house for pets or personal belongings.
· Tackle the fire if it is safe to do so.
Call the City’s emergency call centre on 021 480 7700 from a cell phone or 107 from a landline to report any emergency.
