CAPE TOWN – Firefighters from various factions poured all their energy into containing a fire in Da Gama Park that lasted for 11 hours Sunday morning, 23 November.
The evening before, at 18:00, the City of Cape Town’s Fire and Rescue Services were alerted to vegetation that had caught fire in the Dido Valley area.
“On arrival the officer [in charge] immediately assessed the situation and called for additional resources as it appeared property could be in danger,” said fire and rescue spokesperson Jermaine Carelse.
Emergency response
The Incident Management Team (IMT) Type 3 was activated due to the fire’s threat to residential areas, with an Incident Command post established at Simon’s Town Fire Station to coordinate the response.
“At this stage the fire is threatening the areas of 14th Avenue in Da Gama Park,” Carelse reported during the incident.
Strong South-Easterly winds fanned the flames, forcing authorities to divide the fire area into three divisions with resources strategically placed to protect Da Gama Park properties.
Dido Valley Road was closed to traffic as the fire spread towards 2nd Avenue and Gleneagle Road.
Joint collaboration
The SA Navy Fire, NCC Environmental Services and Volunteer Wildfire Services (VWS) joined City firefighters in battling the blaze through the night.
“Once again it has been proven that collaboration between various agencies and strategic placement of resources gets the job done,” Carelse said following the successful containment.
The fire was brought under control around 05:00 Sunday morning after tireless work from all firefighting teams.
No buildings were damaged during the incident.
“No property was damaged in this incident,” Carelse reported. “A firefighter was injured, but did not require medical attention.”
Only a few hot spots remained in the vicinity of Gleneagle Road on Sunday morning, with other areas monitored as a precaution.
The incident was scaled down to an IMT Type 5, with minimal resources remaining on scene.
“We wish to express our heartfelt appreciation to the navy, NCC and VWS for their unwavering support,” Carelse concluded.
