More than 350 people were displaced when a fire destroyed some 120 structures in Dunoon yesterday afternoon.
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Shortly before noon, the City of Cape Town Fire and Rescue Services dispatched firefighters from Milnerton fire station to an incident of structures alight. Additional resources were requested after the extent of the fire was confirmed.
City’s Law Enforcement was also requested to assist with crowd control when some members of the public attempted to disrupt the operations of the firefighters.
More than 60 firefighters were utilising 16 firefighting appliances to contain the blaze in Usasaza Street.
However, efforts were severely hampered by the structures built up close to each other, many of which were double stories, making it difficult for vehicles to manoeuvre through the congested space.
“No fatalities were recorded but two firefighters sustained injuries, with one sustaining minor burn wounds to his hand,” said Mayco member for Safety and Security, JP Smith. “These were treated at the scene and did not require hospitalisation, while the second member had to be transported for medical care.”
The scene was coordinated by the Incident Management Team 4 (IMT4) which responded to manage the incident and resources on scene. Ten fire engines and six water tankers with 60 Firefighters attended to the incident.
“Fire crews remained for mopping up operations after the fire was extinguished at approximately 5pm.”
“Fire & Rescue Services estimate that about 120 structures were destroyed and over 360 persons Displaced. This will be verified by Disaster Risk Management.”
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Picture: Facebook/ JP Smith
