Siyavuya Mzantsi and Francesca Villette
FIREFIGHTERS worked into the night to douse a fire in Simon’s Town, which gutted five houses and led to 13 families evacuating their homes.
The fire started on the slopes of the mountain on Wednesday and was largely under control, but the blaze changed course on Thursday afternoon.
It is unclear what caused the fire and no injuries were reported.
City Fire and Rescue Services spokesperson Liezl Moodie said 19 fire engines and three helicopters were used to fight the flames.
Fire engines from the Overberg district were also brought into the city as a precautionary measure, Moodie said.
The Cape Times Fresh Air Camp in Simon’s Town was used as a base for firefighters.
People streamed to the camp to deliver water, food and cold drinks.
The area was covered with thick white smoke for most of Thursday and the sound of emergency vehicles rushing to the various fires could be heard as far as Fish Hoek.
By last night the fire had also razed at least 2km of vegetation.
Residents of Runciman Heights and Harbour Heights were evacuated, City Disaster Risk Management spokesperson Charlotte Powell said.
The SPCA had five vehicles on the scene, including a dog trailer and horse box, and 10 staffers to help with evacuating animals.
SPCA staff also nursed a tortoise injured in the fire.
Neighbours watched helplessly as a double storey house on Afrikander Road was engulfed in flames.
The owners were not home.
Resident Sue Adler was in her bathroom when thick clouds of white smoke filled her house.
The smoke was so dense she could not see her dog and she was battling to breathe.
“I just thought we needed to get out of there so that we could breathe,” Adler said. She decided to leave the area, hoping that her house would still be standing when she returned.
Firefighters had their hands full battling the blaze which, started heading towards the main road late Thursday.
The City’s fire service was assisted by National Parks, the SA Navy, City Biodiversity, Working on Fire, NSRI volunteers and Disaster Risk Management volunteers.
In Mitchells Plain, two vegetation fires were quickly doused and caused no damage to property.
Moodie said one fire had occurred close to the Mitchells Plain train station and the other in Merrydale.
Last night Safety and Security executive director Richard Bosman said the Simon’s Town fire was under control.