As stormy weather hit many parts of the country on Sunday, several properties were destroyed in a fire fanned by gale-force winds in Glencairn, Cape Town, while storms caused significant damage in other areas.
A fire fanned by strong winds destroyed several properties and damaged others in Glencairn on Sunday, 7 April, as Cape Town authorities braced for severe weather following a level 9 warning.
The city’s Fire and Rescue Service was alerted just after midday of a fire in Glencairn near Main Road. Rescue services had their hands full trying to curb the spread of the fire, which was being fanned by gale-force winds above Simon’s Town Road, in Echo Road, Glencairn. Rockfalls were also reported on Main Road.
Fire and Rescue Services spokesperson Jermaine Carelse said the first officer on the scene made a quick assessment and called on several resources.
“We have over 20 firefighting resources on scene with an incident management team set up in the Main Road to coordinate overall strategic decisions.”
Teams from Table Mountain National Park and Volunteer Wildfire Services were also on the scene assisting city firefighters.
“To maximise our efforts, the fire area was divided into three divisions, each concentrating on saving property and minimising the extent of the damage caused by the fire. Initial estimates are that three formal dwellings have been completely destroyed and four partially damaged. Staff also had to evacuate…