Skip to content

The Burning Hills of Cape Town

    The massive fire raging in the southern peninsula mountains is set to burn for at least another two days – perhaps longer.

    With the Cape Town Cycle Tour taking place on Sunday, the battle to contain the fire raged on on Tuesday, with helicopters, fixed-wing aircraft and ground teams fighting the blaze spread out over a vast area – fuelled by thick fynbos that has not been burnt since the huge fire of 2000.

    The focus of the firefighting on Tuesday morning was Hout Bay and Tokai, where two helicopters waterbombed flames above the multimillion-rand Tokai plantation for hours, landing at Reddam to “hot fuel” – refuelling without switching off.

    One helicopter focused on a thick stand of bluegums just south of Elephant Eye cave, while the other waterbombed the line of fire creeping north along the top of the plantations. Later they were joined by a fixed-wing aircraft that dropped three-and-a-half tons of water at a time. They were helped by the drop in the fierce south-easter overnight, but then the wind changed to a north-westerly during the day, pushing the smoke back over Constantiaberg and making further flying impossible because of poor visibility.

    They were forced to leave the area and by late afternoon the fire had got into the plantation.

    Late Tuesday afternoon the two Working on Fire helicopters and one from the SA Air Force were waterbombing flames that were moving down towards Clovelly and above Kalk Bay and St James, filling their 1 200-litre Bambi buckets off Fish Hoek beach.

    The choppers can no longer take water from the dam in Silvermine as the water level has become so low from the firefighting and SANParks has to ensure the survival of the aquatic life in the dam.

    The fire has also hampered traffic in the southern peninsula. One commuter took 35 minutes to travel the 8km from Kalk Bay to Lakeside on Tuesday morning.

    The fire started early on Sunday above Boyes Drive in Muizenberg and spread right across to Hout Bay by Monday morning.

    Five houses have been destroyed by fire in Noordhoek, as well as the luxury Tintswalo Lodge at the bottom of Chapman’s Peak.

    7095_738841076229288_4270183100841384198_n
    Image: Arne Purves
    1508015_738841082895954_5097222063147043245_n
    Image: Arne Purves
    1601460_888432554554618_1906586360591976803_n
    Image: Jean Trefson
    10250344_888432571221283_3393460623393019906_n
    Image: Jean Trefson
    10393679_10153070297990631_159702643484675762_n
    Image: Charles Mercer
    11017166_888432567887950_5829766191504470238_n
    Image: Jean Trefson
    11025636_738841072895955_7078898124207944457_n
    Image: Arne Purves
    11042946_738841089562620_3607222965509954791_n
    Image: Arne Purves
    11043197_10153070297985631_2890377090412587917_n
    Image: Arne Purves
    11044604_888432537887953_7000717248838687636_n
    Image: Jean Trefson
    11048664_10153070298880631_4725756362765457173_n
    Image: Shirene Brielle
    B_D7owiU4AERvvF
    Image: Charles Mercer
    B_Is-0_VEAA21Vp
    Image: Lee Slabber

     

    B_K4QEIWwAAtHvB
    Image: Gale McAll

    11045396_10204030227611712_7247430514665170257_n

    11008390_10153070299060631_5613470775658485118_n

    11033186_10153070299065631_1751212363256627254_n

    11037717_10153070297900631_5409910294269337743_n
    11045364_10153070298985631_3351040008419160002_n

    B_EAe8LXEAE_lV7

    B_FhTrHU4AACIjp

    B_FvM7XXEAArD8-

    B_K5DujXEAAclcq

    B_K7XlEU8AEqfGu

    B_KG8pmU8AEGH_C

     

    B_KjuqsUwAE7urb

    B_K-pOPUsAEOwdX

    B_KwdQ0W0AASZ_n

    B_KzUKPWwAAmbu_

    water-bomber-fire-cape-town