While firefighters have battled a runaway blaze in the mountains above Simon’s Town, several fires have been reported in other parts of  Cape Town, including Dunoon, Killarney Gardens and Makhaza in Khayelitsha.

The Simon’s Town fire continued to rage on Thursday, with strong winds hampering efforts to bring the fire under control, according to a City of Cape Town Fire and Rescue Services spokesperson Jermaine Carelse in an afternoon update. 

Three aerial support craft remain busy with active water bombing, he said.

Carelse expressed confidence that the combined efforts of those on the scene will yield positive results.

Crews are actively fighting the fire near Miller’s Point, Castle Rock, Rocklands Farm, Dorian Road and Victory Way. Ground crews from Table Mountain National Parks (TMNP), Volunteer Wildfire Services (VWS), National Conservation Corporation (NCC) and Working On Fire (WOF) are assisting with hand tools. 

⚠️UPDATE ON SIMON’S TOWN FIRE – Fire & Rescue Services Spokesperson, Jermain Carelse

Three Aerial support craft are still busy with water bombing.

The fire area has been divided into five sections, thus aiding in providing a clearer picture of the hot spot areas.#CTNews pic.twitter.com/dJLhAp9nnv

— City of Cape Town (@CityofCT) December 21, 2023

“The fire area has been divided into five sections, and thus aiding in providing a clearer picture of the hot spot areas and the number of resources on scene,” Carelse said.

Read more in Daily Maverick: Simon’s Town blaze rips through 450ha, hundreds of firefighters continue battle

Read more in Daily Maverick: Simon’s Town firefighting efforts continue after an intense night and evacuations after midnight 

Killarney Gardens fire destroys homes

Meanwhile, a fire flared at around 9 am in the Siyahlala informal settlement in Killarney Gardens, on Wednesday, according to Gift of the Givers operations manager, Ali Sablay.

Gift of the Givers were notified about the fire at 9:30 am by community leaders and members.

“We then made contact with the Disaster Management team who informed us that they were also on their way to the fire.”

The fire destroyed 49 homes and affected 123 people, according to an update by Carelse.

When the Gift of the Givers arrived, the fire had just been put out, said Sablay. After engaging with community members, the organisation witnessed the level of destruction caused by the fire.

Gift of the Givers member, Ali Sablay (right) and community leader Mam Cina from Dunoon conduct assessments at the latest fire site in Killarney Gardens. (Photo: Gift of the Givers/ Supplied)

Community members were given meals by Gift of the Givers, said Sablay.

No injuries or fatalities were reported.

“We thank God that there were no injuries, it’s just so sad that community members lost everything.” 

Parents and grandparents from the community informed Gift of the Givers that Christmas would be bleak bleak time, as all their goods for the festive period have been completely burnt out, said Sablay.

Disaster Management teams and City of Cape Town officials are attempting to clear the site to protect the community from any live wires that may be exposed to water, added Sablay.

The cause of the fire was unknown, added Sablay.

A Gift of the Givers team stands alongside firefighters in Killarney Gardens. (Photo: Gift of the Givers/ Supplied)

Read more in Daily Maverick: Fire season — Crews battle Simon’s Town mountain fire days after devastating Dunoon inferno

Site C not spared from fire

An emergency call was received just before 2 pm on Wednesday reporting structures alight in Site C, Khayelitsha, according to Carelse.

Crews from Lansdowne and Khayelitsha were on the scene and by 4 pm the fire was extinguished, he said.

Initial reports indicate 10 informal structures were destroyed and one formal dwelling partially damaged, he added.

Several people were displaced and no injuries or fatalities were reported, concluded Carelse.

According to Sablay another fire occurred in Makhaza on Wednesday.

The fire destroyed 19 structures and left 90 people displaced.

Growing calls for assistance

Gift of the Givers have assisted at the sites of eleven fires in the last three weeks, according to Sablay.

Between 1 October 2022 and 30 September 2023, the City Fire and Rescue Service responded to  5,096 structural fires.

Of these  2,439 were informal residential fires, said Carelse.

During this period, firefighters also responded to 2,061 formal residential fires, and 596 fires at other structures, including retail or industrial premises, schools and churches, he added.

Informal dwelling fires are often caused by a candle falling over or paraffin stove explosions, according to Sablay. He said fires are also sometimes caused by rolling blackouts.

Over the past three weeks strong winds in the Western Cape have exacerbated the spread of fires, he added.

“This year we are seeing fires that are starting much earlier and are much further spread.”

The pattern of fires in townships around the Western Cape has been unusual this year compared to prior years, added Sablay.

“Other years it was just one big fire in one area, three or four for the month, but this year the fires are widely spread,” he said.

Gift of the Givers teams assisting fire victims of Makhaza in Khayelitsha (Photo: Gift of the Givers/ Supplied)

The current needs for the victims of the fire in both Killarney Gardens and Site C are food hampers, toiletries, hot meals, blankets and these are the items that will be rolled out by Gift of the Givers in the next few days.

Gift of the Givers will be providing Killarney Gardens and Site C fire victims with food hampers, toiletries, hot meals and blankets over the coming days and will be present on the ground to assist communities.

“Today we will be rendering further material assistance as people are worried about having a roof over their heads,” added Sablay. 

Those who wish to donate to the affected communities can contact Gift of the Givers. DM