Exhausted firefighters, already battling a blaze on the slopes of the mountain in Simon’s Town, were dealt a heavy blow when a fire started along Glencairn.
Since Tuesday, firefighters have been battling a wildfire and on Thursday evening were faced with extremely challenging conditions and strong winds continued to fan the fire.
In an update on Friday, the City of Cape Town’s Fire and Rescue Services spokesperson, Jermaine Carelse said the wind picked up considerably and the Simon’s Town fire spread over the mountain and is now above Misty Cliffs and Scarborough.
“At the same time, the vegetation fire was reported along the Glencairn Express way quickly gained momentum, and was heading towards the Stonehaven and Evergreen Estates,” Carelse said.
“Drones were deployed to help guide crews on the ground,” he said.
“An executive decision was made that off-duty staff should report to Goodwood Fire Station to be deployed to the incidents, and the City also activated its agreement with neighbouring municipalities, securing assistance from the Stellenbosch, Drakenstein, Cape Winelands, Overstrand, and West Coast fire services.”
At the break of first light on Friday, six aerial support craft took to the skies to waterbomb the fire lines at Scarborough and Glencairn.
Carelse said no staff or members of the public were injured and no property was lost overnight.
However, some residents of Stonehaven and Scarborough were evacuated as a precaution.
“We would like to extend our heartfelt appreciation to all the firefighters who stood tall in the face of danger. These brave men and women showed courage, determination and remained calm under extremely testing conditions,” Carelse said.
“Although the battle continues, we are confident that a combined effort will yield success.”
robin.francke@inl.co.za
IOL