Only a single derelict building was damaged on Tuesday. Photo: Working On Fire/ Facebook.
UPDATED: Simon’s Town fire: Teams battle blaze on the front lines [pics]
The hard work of over 200 firefighters deployed at the fire in Simon’s Town has so far kept the blaze away from residential properties.
Only a single derelict building was damaged on Tuesday. Photo: Working On Fire/ Facebook.
The Castle Rock fire, which began on private property on Tuesday morning, spread into SANParks and Navy properties around Simon’s Town.
Firefighters hold the line
The City’s Fire and rescue Services continue to battle the massive vegetation fire that is still raging.
As of Wednesday afternoon, more than 200 firefighters are still on the ground in Simon’s Town, along with a fleet of City firefighting equipment, including 20 pumps, four water tankers and four skids.
In addition, the Table Mountain National Park has five tankers and one skid on site, along with various ground teams.
According to the City of Cape Town, the fire is not yet contained, but the situation is more manageable, and five aerial support craft returned early on Wednesday morning to assist with water-bombing efforts.
Overnight evacuations
As of Wednesday morning, firefighting teams had worked tirelessly around the clock with four Huey Helicopters, a spotter plane, plus firefighters and tankers from the City of Cape Town Fire and Rescue Services.
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In the early hours of Wednesday, residents from Simonskloof and Harbour Heights were evacuated as a precaution.
Three helicopters were water-bombing the area later on Wednesday morning, while more than 300 staff were still on the ground, according to City of Cape Town Fire and Rescue spokesperson Jermaine Carelse.
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“Only a single derelict building was damaged last night at around 8 pm on the grounds of the SA Navy,” he told Daily Maverick.
Five firefighters sustained injuries in the blaze, and two were taken to hospital, Carelse said. There were also reports of people being evacuated by ambulance for smoke inhalation.
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Working on Fire (WOF)-Kishugu Joint Venture ground and aerial resources were on the front lines on Wednesday morning and were assisting partners in collaboration with other firefighting agencies, and focusing on the hotspots.
This included 46 WOF firefighters, four choppers and five pilots.
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Blaze threatens baboon troops
Animal welfare groups are also on standby for wild and domestic animals that are at risk of being injured.
Locals were particularly concerned about the baboon troops that lived in the mountains above Smitswinkel, Seaforth and Simon’s Town.
