Cape Town – Residents of a housing estate near Fish Hoek and households in Scarborough were evacuated overnight on Thursday as Cape Town firefighters continued to battle a fire on the Southern Peninsula.
As the fire that started on Castle Rock above Simon’s Town earlier in the week spread across Cape Town’s Southern Peninsula towards Scarborough on Thursday, Disaster Risk Management reported that they were alerted to a second blaze above the Glencairn Expressway moving towards Stonehaven Estate near Fish Hoek, according to Daily Maverick.
EWN reported that 96 families had been evacuated from the estate outside Fish Hoek.
“The positives are that no staff or members of the public were injured, and no property was lost overnight. Some residents of Stonehaven and Scarborough were evacuated as a precaution,” the City of Cape Town said on Thursday morning.
Because of the unpredictability of the fire, which was being fuelled by a stiff southeasterly wind, the City of Cape Town also advised residents of Glencairn to prepare a “go” bag containing essentials. in case they had to evacuate.
⚠️UPDATE ON GLENCAIRN FIRE
Officials on site of the fire along the Glencairn Expressway have advised that the area is smoke-filled, and we, therefore, ask residents close to the fire to please close doors and windows to mitigate the risk of any health impacts.#CTNews pic.twitter.com/Pnjc80Myum
— City of Cape Town (@CityofCT) December 21, 2023
The Glencairn Expressway is closed to traffic between Kommetjie Road and Simon’s Town main road, the city’s Jermaine Carelse reported. Roads in and around Simon’s Town are also closed.
“We would like to extend our heartfelt appreciation for all the firefighters who stood tall in the face of danger. These brave men and women showed courage, and determination and remained calm under extremely testing conditions,” the City of Cape Town said, adding that “we are confident that a combined effort will yield success”.
Off-duty staff from a number of city fire stations have been asked to report for duty at Goodwood fire station, from where they will be dispatched to assist firefighters in the field if necessary. The City says it is also approaching the Stellenbosch, Drakenstein, Cape Winelands, Overstrand and West Coast fire services for help.
In addition, six aerial support craft are waterbombing the fire lines at Scarborough and Glencairn and Drones have been dispatched to help direct firefighting efforts.
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