Cape Town - While the work of Cape firefighters is not yet done as they will still be monitoring for flare-ups throughout the week, they have managed to contain the fire, and it’s necessary that their heroic efforts be acknowledged.
Aside from Capetonians, businesses and government officials who showed their appreciation with donations, firefighters were also recently thanked by the South African National Parks (SANParks) CEO, Fundisile Mketeni.
Mketeni praised the bravery and dedication of, among others, the firefighters, volunteers, City of Cape Town (CoCT) Fire and Rescue Services and the Table Mountain National Park (TMNP) rangers in their efforts to contain the fire that caused massive destruction.
“The devastating fires across the TMNP have brought home the value of partnerships and working together as a community to manage this national park we all love.
“Without the collective efforts of the 125 TMNP rangers, the 170 fire and rescue workers, the South African National Defence Force, City of Cape Town personnel, law enforcement and the many, many volunteers, the damage, as devastating as it was, could have been much worse,” said Mketeni.
“The immediacy of the reaction of fire-fighting teams from all areas of the Western Cape, their skill, courage and commitment ensured that the fire was mostly contained by Monday afternoon.
“We also thank our 120 rangers who manage and protect this vast area of more than 28 000 hectares, recognising the many challenges they face. To manage an urban park stretching from Signal Hill to Cape Point, we rely heavily on our communities to assist, alert and raise the alarm on disasters like this, which is exactly what happened on Sunday morning,” added Mketeni.
While the fire has been contained, the City’s Fire and Rescue spokesperson Jermain Carelse said that monitoring operations will continue throughout the week.
“As we enter day four of the Rhodes Memorial incident, the fire has now been contained with only sporadic flare-ups in the Deer Park area, which pose no threat.
“The downscaling of resources started yesterday (Tuesday) evening and only a few fire crews are currently monitoring the situation around the UCT, Philip Kgosana Drive and Deer Park areas,” Carelse said.
Mayor Dan Plato also acknowledged and thanked the many role-players involved in responding to the fire and all those who assisted.
“By working together, we were able to respond as quickly as possible, prevent loss of life, and support each other with the different skill sets required in responding to emergencies such as this one. Capetonians are truly resilient and I applaud our residents, fire fighters, emergency personnel and everyone involved in responding to this fire. Thank you,” said Plato.
Here are some pictures of the Herculean effort that firefighters put into fighting the blaze:
Sunday
Part of the restaurant at Rhodes Memorial in Cape Town was gutted in a fire this morning. #Fire @TheCapeArgus pic.twitter.com/ofKp5IJRhZ
— Sisonke Mlamla (@SISONKE_MD) April 18, 2021
🔥Philip Kgosana Drive Fire🔥
— SANParks TMNP (@TableMountainNP) April 18, 2021
Table Mountain National Park (TMNP) have dispatched crews from @NCCWildfires and @wo_fire to assist with fire suppression efforts.
Further details to follow shortly.#SANParks #TableMountain #TableMountainNationalPark #FireSeason #WCFireSeason pic.twitter.com/kjVSjspsMD
Fire crews were still trying to put down the fire spreading from Rhodes Memorial towards @UCT_news@TheCapeArgus @IOL @CityofCT pic.twitter.com/WXlQnhjQv9
— Sisonke Mlamla (@SISONKE_MD) April 18, 2021
Carelse said more resources are currently on their way to assist firefighting efforts. @TheCapeArgus @IOL @UCT_news @CityofCT @TableMountainNP @wo_fire pic.twitter.com/doWTRRRpq8
— Sisonke Mlamla (@SISONKE_MD) April 18, 2021
Update: The wind direction has changed and the fire has moved towards the M3. Please show caution if you are in the Rondebosch/Newlands area. #WOF_WC@TableMountainNP @eNCA @environmentza @SABCNews pic.twitter.com/v4dniaVcFJ
— Working on Fire (@wo_fire) April 18, 2021
We apologize for not being able to update often about our crews etc but our social media managers are also active fire fighters/drivers.
— VWS Wildfires (@vwsfires) April 18, 2021
Here’s a photo of a small portion of all the VWS crews that have been and are on the #GameCampFire.
Thank you Cape Town for your support! 🙏 pic.twitter.com/jtQUoKUsdj
Monday
Tuesday
[WATCH] A message from Head of Operations, Mrs Arlene Wehr, from the Roeland Street fire station. @WesternCapeGov @CityofCT #capefire pic.twitter.com/76yCvt7m9v
— Premier Alan Winde (@alanwinde) April 20, 2021
Cape Argus