Easter fires leave one dead and 800 homeless

By Odette Ismail
09 April 2007

A blazing shack fire in Borcherds Quarrie near the N2 yesterday left one man dead and roughly eight people homeless.

Johan Minnie, spokesperson for Cape Town disaster management, told a daily paper that, in Kraaifontein 25 people were left homeless after a fire damaged two buildings and shacks in an informal settlement.

The 800 people who were left homeless after four Easter Weekend fires had their communities hand over food and clothing to them.

No injuries or deaths however were reported in these fires which were in Khayelitsha, Fish Hoek and Milnerton, but 200 dwellings were reportedly destroyed.

Then on Friday the Table Mountain National Park staff started a fire as part of a controlled burn to remove all fynbos. Strong winds and high temperatures caused the fire to become more intense, however no large animals were injured in the process.

It is believed that the fire does not cause any ecological damage but is indeed good for the area.

Phillip Prins, the park’s fire manager told reporters that in a few months’ new flowers and shoots will pop up. The reason for the old veld being burnt was to make way for new veld which is better for grazing.