Firefighters have spent last night monitoring Table Bay Nature Reserve in Table View following a vegetation fire which ripped through the area yesterday.
City Fire and Rescue Services spokesperson Theo Layne says firefighters responded to a call just before 13:00 on Wednesday. He says 36 firefighters from various fire stations along with 11 vehicles attended to the blaze, which took several hours to extinguish.
At this stage, he says, the cause has not yet been determined, but explains firefighters had a tough time as strong winds worsened the situation.
When TygerBurger arrived shortly before 19:00 most of the blaze had been extinguished and firefighters said they were monitoring flare-ups to ensure there was no damage to properties.
“They stayed on the site for most of the night and because of the wind, there were additional flare-ups and they called for support. They are currently still on site [Thursday morning, 17 November] to monitor the area,” he says.
A second fire near the N7 highway broke out shortly after 17:00 yesterday, which saw a large area being burnt. At about 17:30 clouds of smoke hung over the highway impairing the visibility of motorists. On closer inspection, TygerBurger saw that a veld opposite Dunoon was ablaze and no fire trucks were on site.
Layne was called for assistance and says when he informed firefighters, they had just received another call and were on their way. Four firefighters could be seen extinguishing that blaze.
“At this fire, we saw short, dry grass on fire. With the dry grass and the strong winds the fire spreads very quickly.”
The cause of both fires are yet to be determined.
Layne has also made an appeal to the public to report all fires immediately by calling 107 from a landline or 021 480 7700 from a cellphone.
