Table Mountain fire A fire that broke out on Newlands Ravine at Table Mountain National Park in Cape Town on Sunday morning has flared up again, prompting safety warnings for hikers.
Image: Armand Hough
The City says arson is suspected to be behind the fires that caused closures in some parts of the Table Mountain National Park (TMNP).
Since Sunday morning, firefighters tried extinguishing the blaze, but due to a change in wind conditions and strong gusting winds on Tuesday night, the Newlands Ravine fire spread toward Tafelberg Road and Vredehoek.
South African National Parks spokesperson JP Louw said: "Significant progress has been made in containing the Newlands Ravine fire as well as the Redhill fire in Table Mountain National Park. The fires have been largely contained in areas accessible to ground firefighters.
"Mopping-up operations will begin in those areas where it has been contained. Firefighting teams will remain on the fire line throughout the night.
"The Newlands Ravine fire is still currently burning in the inaccesible steep cliff areas of the mountain.
"Four helicopters and two spotter planes were deployed at first light this morning. 50 firefighters are attending to the fire in Redhill and 65 firefighters in Newlands."
Safety and Security Mayco member Alderman JP Smith said the City's fire crews kept a watchful eye but flames fanned by a strong South Easter were seen to begin licking over the surface of Table Mountain and quickly made its way down the Newlands Ravine.
“By 10pm (on Tuesday) our fire and rescue services had declared a major incident and assembled a senior management team on site.
“It became a challenging affair when earlier on Tuesday, a large-scale fire was reportedly burning close to Red Hill informal settlement once more, and our spotter plane, which was already in the air diverted its course to give us clear visuals.
“It was at this point that we became suspicious, as the evidence showed, the fire was started alongside the road again. I have asked the fire department to obtain a forensic investigation into the origins of these fires due to the suspected arson.”
Firefighter Jamie von Sacken spent 23 hours trying to extinguish the blaze. On Wednesday, the Canadian expressed confidence in their ability to overcome the challenges posed by the mountain's difficult terrain.
He said: “I’m from British Columbia, Canada, and I've been a firefighter for over 10 years now, but this is my first time in South Africa. I've been on an exchange programme with both VWS (Volunteer Wildfire Services) and NCC Wildfires, to do a learning exchange between fire agencies across the world.
“We were fighting fire underneath Pulpit Rock. We were on the line for 23 hours dealing with an active fire line, patrolling through the night and trying our best to keep this thing contained.
“Unfortunately, the wind was very strong.”
Von Sacken went home at 2pm Wednesday to rest.
“The crews that replaced us had to hold the line for us in our absence.
“The fire is on steep slopes, and the cliffs make it very challenging. The crews were unable to access the burning material embedded in the cliff structure."
He said the additional helicopter support proved to be a significant advantage.
As the firefighters battled the inferno, community members from across Cape Town delivered supplies, including granola bars, water, energy drinks, and even ice lollies to South African National Parks (SANParks) and Volunteer Wildfire Services (VWS) offices.
City Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson Edward Bosch said the fire on Table Mountain was largely contained by Wednesday afternoon.
"However, we are cognisant that a change in weather conditions may influence the situation. City of Cape Town Fire & Rescue resources, as well as WoF crews, National Parks, and Volunteer Wildfire Services, are attending to active flare-ups and are keeping the perimeter secured.
"Four helicopters are still water bombing the fire-line overhead while ground crews are mopping up. No property damage or injuries have been reported.”
Cape Times