|
|
|
|
|
16 January 2026
|
Firefighters assaulted as crews battle major fire in Dunoon, Cape Town
|
|
|
A fire broke out on the morning of Friday, 9 January 2026 in the Dunoon informal settlement in Cape Town. Firefighters were assaulted while battling the large fire while crews worked under extremely challenging conditions to bring the fire under control. One firefighter was hospitalised for heat exhaustion while battling the inferno in extreme temperatures. Jermaine Carelse, spokesperson, City of Cape Town Fire and Rescue Service, said, “The Fire and Rescue Service received the call at 10:25am on Friday, 9 January 2026 of numerous informal structures alight in Site 5, Dunoon. The first arriving officer called for additional resources. Initial resources included 12 fire engines and water tankers with operations being coordinated by an Incident Management Team (IMT) Type 4.”
“The strong winds and fuel load are presenting a challenge to firefighting efforts. Apart from the above resources two helicopters were also brought in to waterbomb the fire. More than 80 firefighters battled the blaze that raged for hours. The fire was extinguished at 21:50. A total of 632 structures were destroyed leaving 2 604 persons displaced,” said Carelse.
He added, “Challenges included that the flames were fanned by strong southeasterly winds and public order policing resources had to be called in to assist as firefighters were being assaulted by members of the community.”
“One firefighter was taken to a nearby medical facility for treatment for heat exhaustion.”
The fire that tore through Site 5 in Dunoon is believed to be the largest informal settlement fire in the Western Cape since the Khayelitsha fire of 2013, according to Imtiaz Sooliman, founder of Gift of the Givers, as thousands of residents remain displaced and emergency relief continues.
Disaster Risk Management Centre spokesperson Charlotte Powell said the registration of affected residents was underway but cautioned that the full extent of the damage was still being assessed. “Given the scale of the incident, it will take some time to determine the number of structures destroyed and persons affected,” Powell said.
She confirmed that operations were being coordinated through a mobile Joint Operations Centre and that a building inspector had been deployed to assess the safety of nearby formal dwellings.
Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis praised the efforts of emergency crews and City staff. “This was a terrible fire, which our firefighters bravely fought to get under control in difficult, windy conditions which also required aerial water-bombing using two helicopters,” Hill-Lewis said.
Animal welfare teams have also been deployed. The Cape of Good Hope SPCA confirmed it had activated a large-scale disaster response in Dunoon. SPCA spokesperson Belinda Abraham said animals were often overlooked during disasters. “When disasters of this scale occur, animals are often hidden casualties,” Abraham said.
Sources: Jermaine Carelse, spokesperson, City of Cape Town Fire and Rescue Service; IOL
“The strong winds and fuel load are presenting a challenge to firefighting efforts. Apart from the above resources two helicopters were also brought in to waterbomb the fire. More than 80 firefighters battled the blaze that raged for hours. The fire was extinguished at 21:50. A total of 632 structures were destroyed leaving 2 604 persons displaced,” said Carelse.
He added, “Challenges included that the flames were fanned by strong southeasterly winds and public order policing resources had to be called in to assist as firefighters were being assaulted by members of the community.”
“One firefighter was taken to a nearby medical facility for treatment for heat exhaustion.”
The fire that tore through Site 5 in Dunoon is believed to be the largest informal settlement fire in the Western Cape since the Khayelitsha fire of 2013, according to Imtiaz Sooliman, founder of Gift of the Givers, as thousands of residents remain displaced and emergency relief continues.
Disaster Risk Management Centre spokesperson Charlotte Powell said the registration of affected residents was underway but cautioned that the full extent of the damage was still being assessed. “Given the scale of the incident, it will take some time to determine the number of structures destroyed and persons affected,” Powell said.
She confirmed that operations were being coordinated through a mobile Joint Operations Centre and that a building inspector had been deployed to assess the safety of nearby formal dwellings.
Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis praised the efforts of emergency crews and City staff. “This was a terrible fire, which our firefighters bravely fought to get under control in difficult, windy conditions which also required aerial water-bombing using two helicopters,” Hill-Lewis said.
Animal welfare teams have also been deployed. The Cape of Good Hope SPCA confirmed it had activated a large-scale disaster response in Dunoon. SPCA spokesperson Belinda Abraham said animals were often overlooked during disasters. “When disasters of this scale occur, animals are often hidden casualties,” Abraham said.
Sources: Jermaine Carelse, spokesperson, City of Cape Town Fire and Rescue Service; IOL
