Firefighters grapple with a nearly 3 000-hectare blaze on the South Peninsula side of the Table Mountain National Park, raising alarm bells as flames inch closer to the iconic Chapman’s Peak. The fire, which erupted near Tokai on Friday, remains uncontained, prompting urgent action from local authorities and firefighting services.
As flames continue to spread, the City’s Fire and Rescue Service has mobilised resources to combat the escalating situation. Spokesperson Jermaine Carelse confirmed, “Two helicopters are airborne again this morning to continue aerial firefighting efforts. The fire is not contained yet, and there is some concern that the two fire lines are creeping towards Chapman’s Peak.”
The threat to local communities has already resulted in significant evacuations; on Sunday, disaster risk management officials oversaw the evacuation of 198 households at the Noordhoek Manor retirement village, including 48 frail care residents. Thankfully, residents have since been allowed to return home, though the situation remains precarious.
Throughout the night, firefighting efforts persevered in an attempt to extinguish the flames, with crews from the City’s Fire and Rescue Service, Table Mountain National Park, NCC, and the Volunteer Wildfire Services (VWS) working tirelessly on the front lines. On Tuesday morning, SANParks issued a statement confirming a flare-up occurred above Boyes Drive the previous night and was slowly progressing toward the road above Lakeside.
Another troubling flare-up was detected in Chapman’s Peak during the early hours of Tuesday, with the fire heading in the direction of Hout Bay. In response, four helicopters were dispatched again that morning, tasked with containing these critical areas of the blaze.
Despite the challenges, SANParks reported positive news regarding the fire line above Tokai, stating, “The fire line above Tokai is being managed well with much of the active fire from last night extinguished.”