Cape Town’s Fire & Rescue Services have been stretched across two major incidents on Wednesday, 11 March, including a vegetation fire near Simon’s Town, a large factory blaze in Bellville South and an ongoing compost fire in Philippi that has been smouldering since the weekend, reports Cape {town} Etc.
According to the City’s MMC for Safety and Security JP Smith, firefighters were deployed to multiple high-risk incidents across the metro as crews worked to prevent the fires from spreading to nearby structures.
One of the most significant incidents occurred at the TwinSaver factory in Fabriek Street, Bellville South, on Wednesday afternoon.
Fire & Rescue Services spokesperson Jermaine Carelse said emergency crews were alerted to the blaze earlier in the day and quickly dispatched firefighters to the scene.
Approximately 30 firefighters were initially deployed, with additional resources later mobilised to protect nearby buildings and contain the blaze.
More than 70 firefighters were eventually involved in the response, according to Smith, supported by specialised equipment including an extendable hydraulic turntable ladder.
‘No injuries have been reported, and all staff members were safely evacuated from the premises,’ Carelse confirmed.
Traffic services closed Fabriek Street while emergency teams worked to extinguish the fire.
Earlier today, firefighters were also called to a vegetation fire in Dido Valley near Scala Road in Simon’s Town, where flames broke out around 11:50am.
Multiple agencies responded, including firefighters from the South African Navy and Table Mountain National Park, as crews worked to contain the blaze and prevent it from spreading to nearby properties.
Carelse said firefighters were forced to operate in difficult terrain while laying extensive hose lines to reach the flames.
Crews [were] positioned to protect properties and [ran] out lengths of fire hose as the fire [was] quite high up,’ he said.
Due to the steep terrain and elevated fire position, two helicopters were deployed to assist ground teams with water bombing operations.
High temperatures and vegetation conditions also increased the risk of the fire spreading, requiring sustained multi-agency firefighting efforts.
Meanwhile, firefighters are continuing to manage a separate incident that began on Saturday afternoon at a farm in Olieboom Road, Philippi, where a large compost heap ignited through the natural decomposition process.
The burning mound – covering approximately 16 000 square metres – has been responsible for the thick smoke and lingering smell of burn that has drifted across various parts of the southern suburbs in recent days.
According to Smith, the fire presents a unique challenge as the heat source is buried deep within the compost pile.
‘The source of the heat, buried below six metres of mulch, has been recorded as generating temperatures in excess of 500 degrees Celsius,’ he said.
Because water struggles to penetrate the mound deeply enough, much of it evaporates before reaching the heat source, resulting in persistent smouldering beneath the surface.
As previously reported by Cape {town} Etc, firefighters and farm workers have been using diggers and front-end loaders to remove mulch layers so crews can access the burning material.
Two helicopters were also deployed earlier in the week to drop water directly onto the heat source, reducing internal temperatures by nearly 200ºC.
Authorities say the fire could continue to burn for several more days while crews work to damp down remaining hotspots.
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