Cape Town - The fire warnings issued for parts of the Western Cape by the South African Weather Service proved necessary after a massive fire broke out in Table View on Wednesday evening, while a separate fire started in Lourensford with numerous firefighting services battling to contain the fire.
City Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson Jermaine Carelse said an emergency call was received on Wednesday which alerted the fire services that reeds were alight in Gill Road, Table View.
“The smoke was visible as far as the Cape Town city centre and an aggressive attack was initiated to contain the fire. An extensive area of reeds burnt,” Carelse said.
Carelse said no property was destroyed and no injuries or fatalities were reported and that the initial response comprised over 12 fire fighting appliances.
“We have scaled down considerably and will have only a fire engine, water tanker and skid unit on the scene on Thursday being assisted by Nature Conservation teams... The cause of the fire is still unknown.”
On Friday, Carelse said: “The two fires that have been raging in Table View and Lourensford have been brought under control.
“In Table View, firefighters from Nature Conservation is monitoring hotspots. One area in Lourensford is still burning, but operations have been largely scaled down.
“Working on Fire and Cape Nature is still on scene,” Carelse said.
Meanwhile, the Department of Forestry, Fisheries, and the Environment’s Working on Fire Programme (WOF) in the Western Cape deployed 32 firefighters and a fire truck to assist with suppression efforts of the fire in Lourensford that had also started on Wednesday.
WOF spokesperson Limakatso Khalianyane said two of their teams from Helderberg and Tulbagh assisted Cape Nature, the City, and the Cape Peninsula Fire Protection Association. The teams worked through Wednesday night and on Thursday.
City incident commander Gerhard Langenhoven said the fire had burned over the municipal boundary and encroached into the Cape Winelands District Municipality.
Cape Winelands District Municipality spokesperson Jo-Anne Otto added that 40 of their firefighters had been the scene, together with aerial support and they were able to contain the fire on the Cape Winelands side.
