Firefighters continue to battle the Table Mountain fire.
Image: Arman Hough/Independent Newspapers
Firefighters from the City of Cape Town remain on-site at the fire on Table Mountain.
The wildfires started on Friday in Tokai.
By Monday morning, Jermaine Carelse, the City of Cape Town’s spokesperson for Fire and Rescue, said there had been no flare-ups overnight.
“Choppers will be airborne after an assessment. One female firefighter was injured and taken to the hospital. As of last night, the fire was creeping down Boyes Drive, Kalk Bay, and Fish Hoek's side, while on the Ou Kaapse Weg side, it moved towards Noordhoek.
The wildfire has rapidly spread since Friday.
Image: Arman Hough/Independent Newspapers
Crews remained on the fire line throughout the night,” he said.
Carelse said crews are closely monitoring the situation and members of the public have been urged to stay away from the affected areas.
“An Incident Management Team Type 3 has been activated and will work on a 12-hour rotation. This provides greater oversight in managing the incident,” Carelse said.
The fires started on Friday.
Image: City of Cape Town/JP Smith/Facebook
Road closures remain in place in parts of the South Peninsula due to the mountain fires in the area.
Closures include:
- Main and Boyes Drive
- Main Road, Lakeside
- Main and Clairvaux
- Noordhoek and Old Kaapse Weg/Boyes Drive
- Steenberg and Tokai Road near the Circle.
On Sunday, Carelse said the fire has been divided into five to maximise their capacity and surround the fire, taking into account the wind speed and direction.
Evacuations of homes and centres were conducted.
“As a precautionary measure, Disaster Risk Management (DRM) assisted with the evacuation of 198 households from the Noordhoek Manor, including 48 frail care residents.
The residents of Barnyard and Silwersteen have decided to evacuate,” Carelse said.
Members of the public can drop off donations in the form of water, energy drinks, and bars, as well as non-perishable items, which may be dropped off at Lakeside Fire Station for firefighters battling the blaze.
robin.francke@iol.co.za
IOL