SAAF swoops in as Cape Town firefighters stretched to limit
The South African Air Force (SAAF) has been brought in to assist firefighters who have been stretched to the limit as at least 19 fires rage across the Western Cape.
In a statement on Tuesday, Local Government, Environmental Affairs and Development Planning MEC Anton Bredell said a fire in Paarl was out of control on Tuesday and was being fanned by strong winds.
He said one structure had already been destroyed, and properties remained at risk.
Bredell said the SAAF would deploy additional resources to combat the fires in the province.
“We are very grateful to the SAAF and the Minister of Defence for their assistance. The Oryx helicopters are much larger and able to deliver a bigger payload compared to the helicopters we usually rely on. We know the SAAF assistance will make a huge difference.”
The additional SANDF resources were already assisting firefighting efforts in the Cape Winelands District Municipality.
A fire that broke out on the slopes of Table Mountain above Vredehoek on Monday night was still not completely out and firefighters remained on scene to prevent flare ups.
Many residents voluntarily evacuated their homes on Monday night as strong winds fanned the flames. The City’s Fire and Rescue Services spokesperson Theo Layne said several structures had been damaged, but nobody was injured.
Colin Deiner, head of Disaster Management in the Western Cape, said the focus was on the Paarl fire on Tuesday, with about 200 firefighters battling the blaze.
He urged members of the public affected by the fires not to panic and to cooperate with authorities.
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