Cape Town – Cape Town's firefighters had another busy day on Wednesday as they responded to yet another blaze, this time in the Southern Pensinsula area where several properties were at risk.
"Earlier this morning the City's Fire and Rescue Service responded to vegetation burning high up on the mountain slopes in Ocean View above Kommetjie Road," said Cape Town Fire and Rescue Services spokeswoman Liezl Moodie said.
"The fire was inaccessible, the fire spread from Ocean View side across the mountain in the direction of Da Gama Park. Property is currently being protected in Da Gama Park."
Moodie said the military flats in the area were being evacuated as a precautionary measure. The City's fire teams were being assisted by Table Mountain National Parks, Volunteer Wildland Fires, Biodiversity, while two helicopters were water bombing the area. No injuries had been reported.
The fire has since reached Da Gama Park and, according to reports, residents in Da Gama Park, Pinehaven, Glen Marine and parts of Simonstown have been asked to evacuate their homes.
Thanks to @vwsfires& all fire fighting teams that are fighting all the current fires in this heat! Sad to see our mints burning. pic.twitter.com/UHpm4NRrj8
— Cape Town Hiking (@hikingcapetown) January 11, 2017
Firefighters were also still on scene in Somerset West where a fire in the Helderberg mountains, which last week destroyed almost half of the historic Vergelegen farm and caused extensive damage to the Bezweni Lodge in Sir Lowry's Pass Village, had been contained. Two helicopters were assisting ground crews with damping down operations.
Meanwhile, the fire in the Drakenstein area was under control by Wednesday afternoon with firefighters still on scene to deal with any flare-ups, incident command spokesman Justin Lawrence said.
The fire, which broke out near the Du Toitskloof Pass, destroyed more than 650 hectares of vegetation. Lawrence said about ten structures were destroyed in the blaze, including guest houses of the Druk My Niet Wine Estate.