James Norbury, an award-winning filmmaker, photographer, and ultra runner, narrowly escaped danger on Sunday when he found himself amid a fire that broke out above Kirstenbosch.
Also read: WSAR rescues trail runner surrounded by fire on Junction Peak
After setting out at 8am to complete the 14km Box to Box Challenge from Platteklip to Constantia, Norbury suddenly smelled smoke during his descent.
He shared his experience in an Instagram video, aiming to educate others about the dangers he faced.
Watch:
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In his Instagram post, Norbury wondered what he should have done differently. His two key takeaways from the ordeal included that he did not have a habit of checking the fire or weather reports before going onto the mountain.
‘This is a huge mistake on my part especially as I’ve spent the last 10 years living in the Alps and habitually checking snow reports/conditions. This will now be something I do not neglect,’ he said.
The second takeaway is situational awareness: ‘There was a six-minute critical window where it would have been possible for me to see the smoke – this is the time between me summitting Table Mountain from the north side and then descending as fast as possible towards the south side of the mountain and ultimately arriving in the fire.’
He adds that he had his head down to spot the technical descent and ran as fast as he could to try to break a speed record.
‘As such, my situational awareness was impacted and I didn’t notice the bushfire or smoke until I could smell it and, seconds later, see the flames.’
‘At this point, I’d crossed into a place where I was unable to backtrack (the timing was very unlucky as my route [enclosed] within minutes of me crossing the threshold).’
He says the lesson for him is to always maintain situational awareness, even when ‘in the zone’.
Also read:
Update: Platteklip Gorge trail closed as fire nears Maclear’s Beacon
Picture: Screenshot of video by @jamesnorbury_ / Instagram