Cape Town - First responders came together to assist a 25-year-old woman who was seriously injured on the slopes below Chapman’s Peak Drive on Thursday evening, and caused a vegetation fire.
Wilderness Search and Rescue (WSAR), and Community Crime Prevention (CCP) responders were involved in a combined effort where “more than 50 emergency services personnel and volunteers” from different organisations came to assist a seriously injured driver.
Wilderness Search and Rescue’s Johann Marais said that details on the incident were not clear, “but it appears that her vehicle went over the edge and, in the process, burst out in flames and set the surrounding vegetation on fire”.
ER24 in statement said that the 25-year-old woman sustained serious injuries in the incident.
“Upon ER24’s arrival at the scene, they found various rescue services at the scene. A portion of the mountain was also well alight, and the fire department was busy fighting the fire while rescuers were trying to get to the patient.
“After an extensive rescue operation, the woman was brought back up the mountain and transported to hospital by Hout Bay Volunteer EMS. The fire department also managed to contain the fire.
“It is understood that the woman’s vehicle left the edge of Chapman’s Peak and had rolled before coming to a stop approximately 100 metres down the mountain. The vehicle caught alight and set a portion of the mountain on fire.
“The exact circumstances surrounding the incident were not known,” ER24 said.
Meanwhile, CCP said that they received an alert to the incident just after 6pm on Thursday from its control room and responders.
A CCP medic with fire and rescue, known only as Glen, had managed to capture some of the scene on camera, and that “once on scene responders saw the fire had been caused by a car that had gone over".
“The video is of a woman who managed to escape the vehicle and fire, and Glen, along with the fire team, are beating the flames away from her.”
The full video can be watched here: https://www.facebook.com/ccphoutbay/videos/656580725655919
Marais added that while fire services and Working on Fire helicopters battled the blaze, concentrating on the area immediately around the wreck to prevent the injured lady and paramedics from being burnt, paramedics stabilised and treated her.
“When the helicopters were able to bring the fire under control, firefighters were deployed on the slope around to tend to flare-ups.
“WSAR volunteers brought a stretcher down the slopes, helped secure the patient, and then brought her back up to the road level using a rope system.
“An ambulance took her to hospital, where she was admitted with multiple and severe injuries. The vehicle was completely burnt out.”
City of Cape Town’s Fire and Rescue services have yet to respond to queries on the matter.
Community Crime Prevention had thanked responders: “As always, we salute the hero’s that put other people before themselves.”
🔥Chapman's Peak Fire🔥
— SANParks TMNP (@TableMountainNP) February 17, 2022
TMNP & @cptfrs has dispatched two helicopters to assist in fire suppression efforts.
Additional Fire fighting resources from NCC Environmental Services and Volunteer Wildfire Services are en route to assist in bringing the blaze under control.#Fire pic.twitter.com/achDRDeWhy