Cape Town -
Firefighters continued to battle a raging fire above Glencairn Heights for a third day on friday, as gale-force winds kept the main fire alive at the top of the mountain slopes – where firefighter ground crews cannot reach.
Late last night Cape Town Fire and Rescue Services spokesman Theo Layne said it was too soon to say whether the fire had been completely extinguished. He said crews were to spend the night checking that it did not flare up.
About 100 firefighters and three water-bombing helicopters from the City of Cape Town’s Fire and Rescue Services, Table Mountain National Park, the Volunteer Wildlife Services and Working on Fire have been furiously fighting to extinguish the fire, which started on Wednesday.
However gale-force south-easterly winds at the upper slopes have kept the main fire burning and allowed it to spread further through scattered embers.
By yesterday afternoon, firefighters continued to battle the blaze but were forced to rely on the helicopters because the fire on the upper slopes was inaccessible to ground crews.
Layne said there was no immediate threat to property.
However, firefighters were stationed on roads on the mountainside as a precaution in case the fire spread.
He said the fire had destroyed a significant amount of vegetation.
“At this stage we cannot accurately estimate the damage to vegetation, but the fire is running about 400m to 500m down and about 200m to 300m across the mountainside.”
- Saturday Argus