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A fiery week in the Cape Winelands
“It is with deep appreciation and respect for our fire services, air support, specifically choppers Whiskey and Tango of Henley Air and our contracted ground teams from NCC and Stem-in-die-Bos that we can look back at a tough week of fire fighting,” shared executive mayor of the Cape Winelands District Municipality (CWDM), Ald (Dr) Elna von Schlicht. During the week of 6 to 11 December 2022, the Cape Winelands District Municipality’s Fire Services fire teams responded to 53 calls from every municipal area in the district. Wednesday the 7th brought its own challenges. The CWDM’s Fire Services were already engaged in the major fire on the Villiersdorp road, referred to as the Brandvlei fire, when four other fires that were potentially catastrophic to infrastructure, crops and farms and homes required attention.
All fires were brought under control, thanks to an incredible team effort and effective preparation. The deployment of experienced and skilled fire fighters, supported by maintained equipment and resources and the use of specialised wildland fire fighting techniques ensured a highly successful operation. In total, managing the fire on the Villiersdorp road took 102 hours, 131 fire personnel and a total of 13 362 man-hours. Choppers were activated over a two-day period on the fire in PA Hamlet and the Villiersdorp road fire and a total of 162 drops were done, equating to 194 400 litres of water. “It is remarkable that during this week in which the teams dealt with many smaller fires as well as the five larger ones, only one fireman required treatment for dehydration and there was no damage to property. It is very early in our fire season and as we get closer to the festive season, I implore our citizens and visitors to not make fires where there are no facilities to do so. And should they be socialising in one of our beautiful outdoor spaces on days when the temperatures exceed 35 degrees Celsius, rather pack a picnic so that everyone can enjoy a fire-free festivity”, said Mayor Von Schlicht. Source: Jo-Anne Otto, deputy director: Communication Services, Cape Winelands District Municipality |
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