The fire along the Table Mountain National Park on Monday.
Image: CoCT
The City of Cape has confirmed that the latest fire along Table Mountain was due to arson.
Fire and Rescue Services responded to a fire along the Table Mountain National Park (TMNP) just after 1 pm on Monday, February 23.
The fire, which was close to Devil’s Peak off Phillip Kgosana Drive, has been confirmed by the City of Cape Town’s mayoral committee member for safety and security, Alderman JP Smith, as arson.
At the time of this fire, three further fires started along the same route.
The fire was caused by arson.
Image: CoCT
“Such a situation could quickly result in widespread disaster, following a period of high temperatures in our City over recent days, which has left vegetation dry and flammable - something any arsonist must have been well aware of. Fortunately, SANParks quickly activated our aerial firefighting service, and three of the City of Cape Town choppers began waterbombing efforts while guided by a spotter plane from above,” Smith said.
Firefighting crews from Roeland Street, Salt River, Constantia, and Brooklyn fire stations provided ground support, assisting TMNP firefighting teams.
All fires were contained, and by 5pm, the roadway was reopened for traffic.
Smith reiterated that arson constitutes a criminal offence.
Fire crews from various fire stations assisted in containing the fire.
Image: CoCT
“Arson is a criminal offence. Between December 2025 and January 2026, our Fire and Rescue responded to 3,492 vegetation fires - 279 incidents more than over the same period the year before,” he said.
“In the latest statistics released by SAPS for the last three months of 2025, arson cases have seen a national reduction, except in Gauteng, the Eastern Cape, and the Western Cape, where we have seen a surge of cases to a record high of 194 dockets that have been registered in just these three months,” Smith said.
According to Smith, these numbers suggest that there is credible evidence of a purposeful criminal element seeking to cause destruction.
He also highlighted previous arson incidents.
More fires broke out as firefighters were battlng one fire.
Image: CoCT
In 2021, a forensic report identified arson that caused a fire at nearly the same location, seven months before the local government elections.
“That incident caused damages estimated to be over R1 billion, but the greatest loss came from permanently losing a part of our heritage when the UCT Library Archives were destroyed, along with the iconic Mostert’s Mill, which has since been rebuilt,” Smith said
In 2022, water infrastructure was targeted by arsonists in Wallacedene in Kraaifontein.
In 2024, the Steenbras dam water treatment plant was targeted in Gordon’s Bay, followed by the Slangkop lighthouse. At the time, witnesses saw a vehicle fleeing the scene of a fire in Pinehaven.
The road was reopened by 5pm on Monday.
Image: CoCT
In January of 2025, SANParks opened an official probe into the evidence gathered. While contending with fires ravaging the Table Mountain National Park, a spotter plane had been circling overhead, coordinating the water bombing efforts of the firefighting choppers below. It had detected a spiral of smoke near Redhill and, on closer investigation, recorded a vehicle racing away from a fire that had been ignited alongside a deserted road.
“While we are always ready to assist our neighbours in the Table Mountain National Park, the constitutional mandate for municipal fire services prioritises the protection of life and property. When fighting large-scale vegetation fires, firefighting efforts use a significant amount of water - more than would be required for attending to a structural fire. For this reason, the Cape Town fire services have been increasingly investing in water tankers, specifically in the smaller 4x4 off-road trucks that can navigate the treacherous mountain terrain,” Smith said.
On Monday, several of those water tankers were used, each able to carry 6,000 litres and equipped with hand-lines and a high-pressure pump.
“Such investment has repeatedly proven its value. While the municipality has done everything possible to protect its residents, it’s now up to the South African Police Service to investigate and prosecute those responsible for any criminality,” Smith said.
robin.francke@iol.co.za
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