SOUTH AFRICA: Gale Force South Easterly Fanning Across Table Mountain National Park

The weekend saw the ignition of several vegetation fires across sections of Table Mountain National Park. Fires at Devils Peak and Signal Hill were largely contained but because of gale force south easterly winds these areas continue to be monitored. The biggest concern however is a fire that started on Sunday near the Red Hill informal settlement which was contained on the same day but flared up once again in the early hours of Monday morning. This fire is now covering an expanse from Red Hill to Ocean View via Scarborough and Misty Cliffs.

While the residential areas Scarborough and Misty Cliffs are currently safe, the bulk of the resources have now been deployed to protect the community of Ocean View. Preliminary estimates indicate that almost a 1000 ha have burned thus far. The extreme weather conditions (a combination of high temperatures and gale force winds) are hampering firefighting efforts. Multiple teams from Table Mountain National Park (TMNP), Working on Fire (WoF) and the Volunteer Wildfire Services (VWS) have dispatched almost 100 fire fighters over the course of the last two days.

Additional firefighters have been requested to relieve the current crews who are suffering from fatigue. These teams are supplied by WoF from other bases as far away as George. At first light this morning, 5 helicopters and a spotter aeroplane was utilised as part of the areal resources required for the fire.

FIRES IN GENERAL
In comparison to the same time last year, the park has seen a notable increase in the intensity and the frequency of fires in the national park. January alone saw close to 250 WoF fire-fighters engaged in battling 16 fires across the Western Cape.

The general public is requested to immediately report all fires within TMNP on 0861 106 417 or the City of Cape Town Fire and Rescue Services on 021 480 7700 (from a mobile phone) and 107 (from a landline). Follow the SANParks TMNP facebook page (SANParks –Table Mountain National Park) and twitter account (@TableMountainNP) for regular fire danger index updates and news regarding the possibility of fire outbreaks.