The battle for Scarborough. Firefighting crews and volunteers were faced with extremely challenging conditions overnight, dealing with both the Simon’s Town and Glencairn fires.
The wind picked up considerably and the Simon’s Town fire spread over the mountain and is now above Misty Cliffs and Scarborough. At the same time, the vegetation fire was reported along Glencairn Express way quickly gained momentum and was heading towards the Stonehaven and Evergreen Estates.
An executive decision was made that off duty staff should report to Goodwood Fire Station to be deployed to the incidents, and the City also activated its agreement with neighboring municipalities, securing assistance from the Stellenbosch, Drakenstein, Cape Winelands, Overstrand and West Coast fire services.
At first light, six aerial support craft took to the skies to waterbomb the fire lines at Scarborough and Glencairn. The positives are that no staff or members of the public were injured, and no property was lot overnight. Overnight, approximately 97 households in Stonehaven Estate were evacuated. Some residents of Scarborough were also evacuated, although most of the evacuees were able to leave the area without assistance. The Disaster Management Centre also activated animal welfare groups to assist with the evacuation of animals, to TEARS in Ocean View and the SPCA in Grassy Park.
We as the public would like to extend our heartfelt appreciation for all the firefighters that stood tall in the face of danger. These brave men and women showed courage, determination and remained calm under extremely testing conditions.
