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2 May 2025
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Multi-agency response to Tokai wildfires on Table Mountain, Cape Town
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Multiple agencies responded to the major wildfire in the Tokai/Silvermine area of Table Mountain national Park in Cape Town, which started on Friday, 25 April 2025. Crews from SANParks Table Mountain National Park, City of Cape Town Fire and Rescue Service, Working on Fire-Kishugu JV, Volunteer Wildfire Service (VWS) and NCC Wildfire responded, amongst others, with more than 250 firefighters on scene. Lakeside Fire Station was the drop off point for donations. Several evacuations were put into place. Jermaine Carelse, spokesperson for the City of Cape Town Fire and Rescue Service reported on Monday, 28 April 2025 that no major flare ups were reported overnight and that choppers will be airborne after an assessment. “One female firefighter was injured and taken to hospital” said Carelse.
“As of last night the fire was creeping down Boyes Drive, Kalk Bay and Fish Hoek side, while on the Ou Kaapse Weg side it moved towards Noordhoek. Crews remained on the fire line throughout the night. We are closely monitoring the situation and urge the public to stay away from these areas. An Incident Management Team Type 3 has been activated and will work on a 12 hour rotation. This provides greater oversight in managing the incident. Road closures remain in place. Donations in the form of water, energy drinks and bars, as well as non-perishable items may be dropped off at Lakeside Fire Station.”
Alderman JP Smith, the City of Cape Town’s Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security, said, “Firefighters responded to more than 200 fires over the long weekend, supported by the rest of the Safety and Security Directorate. The fire that started in Tokai on Friday evening reared its head again in the early hours of Sunday and has kept fire services across a number of agencies very busy, supported by enforcement services and the Disaster Risk Management Centre. More than 100 City of Cape Town firefighters have been on the frontline in Tokai and surrounds but the rest of the service ensured that the 32 fire stations were manned and ready to respond to incidents. Over the long weekend, they responded to 357 incidents, including 214 fires.”
Alderman Smith added, “The Tokai fire has been a challenge over the past few days but I want to commend everyone who has had a hand in working to contain it. While we had some precautionary evacuations on Sunday, the dedication of all these crews kept lives and property safe. There is some concern about how the fire started and then reignited after seemingly being subdued but our firefighters have been holding the line with aplomb. The magnitude of this incident reminds us once more of the threat of fire in our city but also why it is so critical to keep investing in our Fire and Rescue Service. That is why we have proposed just over R17 million to further increase staffing and resources for the service in our draft budget.
Disaster Risk Management (DRM) officials and volunteers were activated to assist the Fire Services to coordinate relief efforts. DRM assisted with the evacuation of 198 households from the Noordhoek Manor, including 48 frail care residents.
The residents of Barnyard- and Silwersteen also decided to evacuate.
On 29 April 2025, Carelse reported that the helicopters that were airborne earlier have been grounded again, due to poor visibility this morning. “Light rain has, however, started falling parts of the fire area and it is hoped that this will provide some much needed relief and expedite efforts to extinguish the fire that’s been burning since Friday evening. The Incident Management Team will be assessing the situation and deciding on the way forward in the next hour. Crews from the City’s Fire and Rescue Service, TMNP, NCC and VWS remain on scene; however, it is likely that resources will be scaled back once the IMT has completed its assessment.”
Later that same day, he said that firefighting operations have been scaled back significantly today; the cooler weather conditions have helped. “The Incident Management Type too has been moved from an IMT 3 to 4. We have closed the divisions in the Noordhoek, Clovelly and Boyes Drive areas. Efforts are now concentrated on Klein- and Groot Constantia, as well as upper Tokai, where an extensive area of hotspots is still smouldering.”
On 29 April 2025 at around 18h00, South African National Parks (SANParks) confirmed that the fire that impacted large sections of Table Mountain National Park was successfully contained. “Firefighters will remain on scene throughout the evening to monitor the areas burnt and conclude with mop-up operations. Although no active fire lines remain, the burnt areas between Upper Tokai, Silvermine, Constantia Nek, above Boyes Drive, Noordhoek, Clovelly and Chapman's Peak, remain volatile and hazardous. We strongly urge hikers, mountain bikers and all members of the public to avoid these zones [as indicated in the map] until further notice. Hidden hotspots, weakened trees and smouldering roots present serious risks. We extend our gratitude to the public, community groups and organisations who generously supported our firefighting teams with donations and supplies. Our sincere thanks also go to the brave firefighters, volunteers and aerial support teams who worked around the clock to manage the fire across approximately 3 000 hectares of parkland.”
Drones monitored the fire's movement
Technology was assisting firefighters see which direction the Table Mountain Fire was heading towards. Carelse said they had drones hovering in the air. He said that luckily no properties have been lost. Although more than 190 homes were evacuated as a precautionary measure. And a thick pall of smoke was hanging over the area. “Ten cars and two motorcycles were destroyed or damaged in the fire burning near Silvermine Gate 1.
Sources: SANParks Table Mountain National Park, Parkscape, Alderman JP Smith, City of Cape Town, NCC Wildfires, Volunteer Wildfire Services, IOL News, The Daily Maverick and several other news agencies
“As of last night the fire was creeping down Boyes Drive, Kalk Bay and Fish Hoek side, while on the Ou Kaapse Weg side it moved towards Noordhoek. Crews remained on the fire line throughout the night. We are closely monitoring the situation and urge the public to stay away from these areas. An Incident Management Team Type 3 has been activated and will work on a 12 hour rotation. This provides greater oversight in managing the incident. Road closures remain in place. Donations in the form of water, energy drinks and bars, as well as non-perishable items may be dropped off at Lakeside Fire Station.”
Alderman JP Smith, the City of Cape Town’s Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security, said, “Firefighters responded to more than 200 fires over the long weekend, supported by the rest of the Safety and Security Directorate. The fire that started in Tokai on Friday evening reared its head again in the early hours of Sunday and has kept fire services across a number of agencies very busy, supported by enforcement services and the Disaster Risk Management Centre. More than 100 City of Cape Town firefighters have been on the frontline in Tokai and surrounds but the rest of the service ensured that the 32 fire stations were manned and ready to respond to incidents. Over the long weekend, they responded to 357 incidents, including 214 fires.”
Alderman Smith added, “The Tokai fire has been a challenge over the past few days but I want to commend everyone who has had a hand in working to contain it. While we had some precautionary evacuations on Sunday, the dedication of all these crews kept lives and property safe. There is some concern about how the fire started and then reignited after seemingly being subdued but our firefighters have been holding the line with aplomb. The magnitude of this incident reminds us once more of the threat of fire in our city but also why it is so critical to keep investing in our Fire and Rescue Service. That is why we have proposed just over R17 million to further increase staffing and resources for the service in our draft budget.
Disaster Risk Management (DRM) officials and volunteers were activated to assist the Fire Services to coordinate relief efforts. DRM assisted with the evacuation of 198 households from the Noordhoek Manor, including 48 frail care residents.
The residents of Barnyard- and Silwersteen also decided to evacuate.
On 29 April 2025, Carelse reported that the helicopters that were airborne earlier have been grounded again, due to poor visibility this morning. “Light rain has, however, started falling parts of the fire area and it is hoped that this will provide some much needed relief and expedite efforts to extinguish the fire that’s been burning since Friday evening. The Incident Management Team will be assessing the situation and deciding on the way forward in the next hour. Crews from the City’s Fire and Rescue Service, TMNP, NCC and VWS remain on scene; however, it is likely that resources will be scaled back once the IMT has completed its assessment.”
Later that same day, he said that firefighting operations have been scaled back significantly today; the cooler weather conditions have helped. “The Incident Management Type too has been moved from an IMT 3 to 4. We have closed the divisions in the Noordhoek, Clovelly and Boyes Drive areas. Efforts are now concentrated on Klein- and Groot Constantia, as well as upper Tokai, where an extensive area of hotspots is still smouldering.”
On 29 April 2025 at around 18h00, South African National Parks (SANParks) confirmed that the fire that impacted large sections of Table Mountain National Park was successfully contained. “Firefighters will remain on scene throughout the evening to monitor the areas burnt and conclude with mop-up operations. Although no active fire lines remain, the burnt areas between Upper Tokai, Silvermine, Constantia Nek, above Boyes Drive, Noordhoek, Clovelly and Chapman's Peak, remain volatile and hazardous. We strongly urge hikers, mountain bikers and all members of the public to avoid these zones [as indicated in the map] until further notice. Hidden hotspots, weakened trees and smouldering roots present serious risks. We extend our gratitude to the public, community groups and organisations who generously supported our firefighting teams with donations and supplies. Our sincere thanks also go to the brave firefighters, volunteers and aerial support teams who worked around the clock to manage the fire across approximately 3 000 hectares of parkland.”
Drones monitored the fire's movement
Technology was assisting firefighters see which direction the Table Mountain Fire was heading towards. Carelse said they had drones hovering in the air. He said that luckily no properties have been lost. Although more than 190 homes were evacuated as a precautionary measure. And a thick pall of smoke was hanging over the area. “Ten cars and two motorcycles were destroyed or damaged in the fire burning near Silvermine Gate 1.
Sources: SANParks Table Mountain National Park, Parkscape, Alderman JP Smith, City of Cape Town, NCC Wildfires, Volunteer Wildfire Services, IOL News, The Daily Maverick and several other news agencies
