Simon’s Town fire continues to rage, but no damage to property

The fire on the slopes of Simon’s Town continues to rage three days later, with hundreds of firefighters — including four helicopters and a spotter plane — still battling the blaze and water-bombing the inferno. 

On Thursday afternoon the City of Cape Town’s fire and rescue services said there was no immediate threat to property, even though strong winds continued to be a threat. 

Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson Jermaine Carelse said the area affected by fire had been divided into five sections to aid and provide a “clearer picture of the hot spot areas and the number of resources on scene”. 

The strong winds of about 40km per hour hampered firefighting efforts, he said. 

Carelse said there was no immediate threat to property, but strong winds continue to be a threat. 

On Thursday afternoon fire crews battled the fire, preventing it from spreading to nearby properties and holiday resorts such as Miller’s Point, Castle Rock and Rocklands Farm, and to Dorian Place and Victory Road, while ground crews from Table Mountain National Park, Volunteer Wildfire Services, NCC Wildfires and Working on Fire were assisting.

The fire, first reported on Tuesday, resulted in five firefighters sustaining injuries on Wednesday, two of whom were taken to hospital.

Five support aircraft were activated at first light on Thursday, including a Black Hawk helicopter that can fly in high winds. 

Since the fire started, about 30—40 households were evacuated as a precautionary measure.

Carelse said more than 300 operational staff from the city’s rescue services had been deployed since Tuesday, in addition to volunteer teams. The cause of the fire remains unknown.

"[We] remain hopeful that the fire can be contained soon, but unfortunately, we have no control over factors like the wind,” said Carelse.

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