Efforts to contain a wildfire that began on the mountain slopes above Castle Rock near Simon’s Town, in Cape Town on Tuesday morning have continued into the afternoon, with more than 60 firefighters battling the blaze and at least 3 helicopters. 

The fire was reported just after 7am on Tuesday morning, said City of Cape Town’s Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson Jermaine Carelse. 

“City firefighters responded, along with crews from the Table Mountain National Park, NCC and the Volunteer Wildfire Services (VWS),” he said. 

🔥 Castle Rock – Simonstown 🔥 Update [Fire footage]

SANParks – Table Mountain National Park has deployed approximately 80 firefighters from NCC Wildfires, Volunteer Wildfire Services, and Working on Fire to the fire near Castle Rock in Simonstown. pic.twitter.com/bezJKTp6IY

— SANParks TMNP (@TableMountainNP) December 19, 2023

Two helicopters had initially been called in to fight the blaze and were “water bombing the area as the fire [was] being fanned by a mild southeaster up Miller’s Point,” said Carelse. 

By 1:15pm, four helicopters, along with a spotter plane, had been brought in to fight the flames from above. 

“Currently, more than 60 City firefighters are on scene,” said Carelse, in an update sent just after 1pm.

“The fire is not contained yet and the cause is unknown,” he said. 

Firefighting vehicles arrive to put out a fire on the slopes of the mountain near Castle Rock in Simon’s Town on 19 December, 2023. (Photo: Kyra Wilkinson)

Speaking to Daily Maverick on Tuesday morning, Carelse said the fire was moving towards the Navy ammunition depot above Simon’s Town. 

Read more in Daily Maverick: Western Cape braced for worst fire season in eight years

Fire helicopters work tirelessly to put out the mountain fire near Castle Rock in Simon’s Town, on 19 December, 2023. (Photo: Kyra Wilkinson)

Dunoon blaze leaves hundreds displaced

The fire near Simon’s Town comes only days after a fire ripped through an informal settlement in Dunoon, on Saturday. Carelse said 187 informal structures — most of them double-storey — were destroyed in the blaze. 

At least one person was injured in the fire, he said. “One adult male [suffered] burn wounds, and he was treated and transported to a medical facility,” said Carelse. 

About 500 people have been displaced, he said. 

Carelse said Fire and Rescue Services were alerted to the fire at about 5:21am, and at about 5:23 the first vehicles arrived on the scene. According to Carelse, a total of 14 fire trucks were on scene with more than 50 firefighters tackling the blaze. 

Gift of the Givers team members at the scene of the fire which tore through an informal settlement in Dunoon on Saturday, 17 December. (Photo: Supplied/Gift of the Givers)

Firefighting efforts continued for most of the day, and the fire was extinguished at about 2pm, he said. 

Carelse said it was “extremely difficult” for firefighters to reach the fire.

He said the cause of the fire is still undetermined. 

Gift of the Givers teams were called on Saturday morning around about 6am by the community leaders and community members of the Ethembeni informal settlement, said Gift of the Givers operations manager, Ali Sablay. 

“We immediately made contact with the City of Cape Town Fire Department and the City of Cape Town Disaster Management Teams who confirmed that there was indeed a fire,” he said.

Gift of the Givers provides meals to those affected by the fire which ripped through an informal settlement in Dunoon on Saturday, 17 December. (Photo: Supplied/Gift of the Givers)

Gift of the Givers arrived in Dunoon at about 9am, and the City of Cape Town Fire Department was still battling the blaze.

“We are assisting the community with hot meals on a daily basis, blankets, mattresses, water, toiletries, baby care packs and coming into the new year we will be assisting the children with new school uniforms,” said Sablay. Children lost all their school uniforms and school stationery, he said. 

Sablay said the immediate need of the fire victims is to get a roof over their heads.

“They are seeking building materials, and the National [Department of] Human Settlements is on the ground to assist the families with building kits and the most important thing is to rebuild their lives,” he added. DM