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| The mountain near Castle Rock in Simon’s Town in flames, on 19 December, 2023. (Photo: Kyra Wilkinson) |
A fierce fire began on the mountain slopes above Castle Rock near Simon's Town in Cape Town on Tuesday morning, with over 60 firefighters battling the blaze and at least three helicopters. The fire was reported just after 7am and was reported by City of Cape Town's Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson Jermaine Carelse. Crews from Table Mountain National Park, NCC, and the Volunteer Wildfire Services (VWS) responded to the scene. Two helicopters were initially called in to fight the blaze, but four helicopters and a spotter plane were brought in by 1:15pm. Currently, more than 60 city firefighters are on scene.
The fire is not contained yet and the cause is unknown. The fire is moving towards the Navy ammunition depot above Simon's Town. The fire near Simon's Town comes only days after a fire ripped through an informal settlement in Dunoon, destroying 187 structures, most of which were double-storey. At least one person was injured in the fire, and around 500 people have been displaced.
Firefighting efforts continued for most of the day, and the fire was extinguished at about 2pm. Gift of the Givers teams were called on Saturday morning by community leaders and members of the Ethembeni informal settlement, who immediately made contact with the City of Cape Town Fire Department and the City of Cape Town Disaster Management Teams. Gift of the Givers arrived in Dunoon at about 9am, and the City of Cape Town Fire Department is still battling the blaze.
The immediate need of the fire victims is to get a roof over their heads, and the National Department of Human Settlements is on the ground to assist families with building kits and rebuild their lives.
