Efforts continue to contain a fire as Castle Rock blaze enters third day

Efforts continue to contain a fire that broke out near Castle Rock in Simonstown.

PHOTO: Facebook - Working On Fire

The blaze which entered its third day on Thursday, saw no property damaged, nor did any staff or member of the public suffer any injuries.

‘’Five aerial support craft have been activated as of first light,  including the Black Hawk that can fly in very high winds, as we suspect will be the case today. Again, we cannot stress enough the work that has been done on the frontlines by the various agencies involved in trying to get this fire out,’’ said Jermaine Carelse, City of Cape Town Fire & Rescue Service spokesperson.

PHTO COURTESY: Charl Steenkamp

Carelse said a planning meeting will be held after the two Incident Management Teams have their briefing this morning, whereby the tactics for the day will be discussed and implemented.

The spokesperson said authorities had hoped that the wind will be in their favour, ‘’however these elements are out of our control.’’

Meanwhile, the Western Cape’s Local Government, Environmental Affairs and Development Planning MEC, Anton Bredell, urged the public to follow instructions from firefighters managing the wildfire in Simon’s Town.

“We have a strong and professional team on the ground, and we request that the public do not panic and work with us. Our officials will request residents well in advance if they need to evacuate, and all firefighting decisions being made is with the safety of the public as number one priority.’’

The Western Cape Government has budgeted R16m for the current wildfire season. Bredell said the public also plays a critical role in the prevention of wildfires.

“Fires due to natural causes, such as lightning strikes or rockfalls, account for less than 3% of all wildfires. The other 97% is caused either intentionally, 25%, or through negligence, 72%. These statistics show the huge role ordinary citizens can play to protect not only our natural environment, but also our personal safety and infrastructure, from runaway wildfires.”

Minister Bredell asked that people report any sighting of a fire as quickly as possible to the closest authorities.

“Experience over many years has taught us that the faster the initial response, the better our chances are of successfully controlling a fire before it spirals out of control.”

 

Done By: Bush Radio News reporter