TRIAL BY FIRE

CITY of Cape Town firefighters entered their fourth day of fighting the wildfire in Tokai. 

Yesterday, brave fire first responders remained on-site at the fire on Table Mountain. 

The wildfires started on Friday in Tokai, spreading over Silvermine and moving towards Muizenberg. 

An injury to a female firefighter was reported.

By Monday morning, Jermaine Carelse, the City of Cape Town’s spokesperson for Fire and Rescue, said there had been no flare-ups overnight.  

He reported yesterday: “Choppers will be airborne after an assessment. One female firefighter was injured and taken to the hospital.  

“As of last night, the fire was creeping down Boyes Drive, Kalk Bay, and Fish Hoek's side, while on the Ou Kaapse Weg side, it moved towards Noordhoek.

“Crews remained on the fire line throughout the night.

Carelse said crews are closely monitoring the situation and members of the public have been urged to stay away from the affected areas. 

He added: “An Incident Management Team Type 3 has been activated and will work on a 12-hour rotation. This provides greater oversight in managing the incident.”

The fire has wreaked havoc in the South Peninsula with residential homes and the Noordhoek retirement village being evacuated as precautionary measures on Sunday. 

Carelse said: “As a precautionary measure, Disaster Risk Management (DRM) assisted with the evacuation of 198 households from the Noordhoek Manor, including 48 frail care residents.

“The residents of Barnyard and Silwersteen have decided to evacuate.”

Mayoral Committee member for Safety and Security in Cape Town, JP Smith said on Sunday that over 90 firefighters are working tirelessly across several fronts: Noordhoek, Steenberg Estate, Ou Kaapse Weg, and Clovelly.

The City's Fire and Rescue is working with SANParks to combat the fire, with 12 major pumper fire engines, 5 strike teams, and 5 water tankers.

SANParks said: “This weekend, our firefighters have been working tirelessly to battle multiple blazes and are currently on scene in Tokai and Silvermine. 

“We ask for your support in their efforts by dropping off donations for the crews at the Newlands Fire Base, located in Newlands Forest.”

SANParks said the following items would be greatly appreciated: 500ml bottles of water, 500ml bottles of Energade or Powerade, energy or snack bars, chocolates, small packets of nuts or snacks, eye drops, hydration powder, and fresh fruit.